Celtic just released a statement that essentially puts to bed and destroys claims and rumours of potentially ‘voiding’ the season.
The last couple of weeks have been… weird. The novel coronavirus has seemingly put not just the sports or Celtic’s world, but the entire globe on halt. We are wading into unprecedented times. Included in those unprecedented times is what to do with football and the remainder of the season?
Essentially there are three legitimate options. The first is to call the season finished and crown the club on the top of the table champion. Second would be to finish all matches behind closed doors. Finally, one could call the season ‘null and void’ as if it never even happened.
Can you guess which option Rangers and their fans are hoping occurs? Here is the thing, the ‘null and void’ scenario is the least likely to happen. While it is still possible, it seems improbable. Aside from a comment made by Hoops manager Neil Lennon last week, Celtic has stayed relatively quiet.. until now.
Celtic’s chief executive Peter Lawwell has made a statement that was posted on Celtic’s website that essentially destroys the ‘null and void’ army:
"“With regard to the present domestic Premiership League situation, our strong preference is, of course, to complete all remaining matches. To date, we have had a magnificent campaign, undefeated in this calendar year, completing 30 league matches already to create a commanding lead and we are now on the cusp of winning our ninth successive title.“As many have already said, the season cannot be voided as the consequences of that are so severe. In the event that the matches cannot be completed, then the responsibility to find a fair and reasonable solution for the finalisation of all domestic leagues will be with the Scottish football governing bodies.“We hope that the governing bodies are able to provide some clarity to clubs and supporters as soon as possible on the way forward, although we appreciate that this is a hugely demanding time.”"
Lawwell is 100% correct in his statement. If the season were to be voided, the fallout would be catastrophic. And that goes for every club in the Scottish Premiership League, not just Celtic.
It seems the most likely recourse is that the matches will be played sans fans, perhaps as soon as late next month. Of course, that is simply just speculation.