Celtic chief executive urges authorities to find ‘fair’ conclusion to season

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has told the Scottish football authorities that he is looking for “a fair and reasonable solution” to the league campaign.

The Scottish Professional Football League was suspended last Friday “until further notice” due to the coronavirus crisis and a hiatus lasting several months looks increasingly likely.

Celtic are 13 points clear of Rangers at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership having played a game more and boss Neil Lennon insisted that the Hoops should be declared champions if the campaign is not completed while Stewart Robertson, the Ibrox club’s managing director, wants all 38 games played.

On the same day that the Premier League and the English Football League was postponed further until April 30, albeit the season extended indefinitely, Lawwell said: “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’s demand came in a statement addressing the ramifications of the coronavirus crisis, where he announced that Celtic were “putting resources in place with the aim of helping the most vulnerable in our society”.

“I know you will be very aware of the continuing developments in respect of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Lawwell.

Clearly for some time now, the club has been monitoring the situation closely and, of course, its potential impact on our supporters, our colleagues and our organisation. We continue to do this, and through daily executive management briefings we are doing all we can to play our part in tackling the spread of this virus.

“This is a worrying time for us all. In such a difficult situation for everyone concerned, above all, the health and well-being of people is of paramount importance.

“I would like to thank all our staff for their ongoing commitment and professionalism in very challenging circumstances, and I thank our fans for their understanding and tremendous ongoing support and engagement.

“We all continue to navigate our way through these unprecedented times with continued teamwork and support for each other. We urge all our colleagues and supporters to do all they can to stay safe at this time.

“During such a difficult period, we also extend our thoughts to all other football clubs who are affected by these events and facing such uncertainty.

“We realise the hugely damaging effect these circumstances will have on clubs of all sizes across Scotland, Europe and beyond.

“The health of everyone in football and society is always the priority, but we hope clubs find a way through these testing times and ensure that the game we all love can thrive again as soon as possible.”