The EPL restart makes Scottish Football the laughing stock of Europe

As football fans we all gear up for the restart of the English Premier League on Wednesday. Remarkably football in the UK is getting back underway less than 1 month after the Scottish Premier League decided the best course of action was to cancel the league! 

For years Scottish football has been in the gutter. It has been dwarfed by the high wages in England. Its teams have struggled to compete on the European stage against technical opposition. There have been refereeing strikes and an abundance of teams going into administration. 

The question has to be asked - why cancel the league? 

The above map taken from europeanleagues.com shows in green countries which are going to (or already have) continue their seasons. In red are the handful of countries which decided to cancel their seasons - either null and voiding the season, or in Scotlands case awarding a team the title, and relegating a team who could still have fought their way out of relegation. 

Why the haste to cancel? The decision was made on the 18th of May - after the UK had passed its peak in virus cases (mid April). Testing facilities were ramping up, and other countries were starting to ease lockdown, and preparing to have teams playing football. In fact, the decision was taken two days after the German Bundesliga had restarted. 

What will the long term ramifications be? For Hearts, they are relegated and may potentially take legal action. For Celtic, they have the indignity of being awarded a title and not being able to win it. You only have to look at Juventus as an example of a team who would not want to be awarded a title. If you think it is tough on Hearts, then look at Partick Thistle in the lower divisions - relegated when they are two points behind their nearest rival, and with a game in hand! 

The decision to cancel so early now looks a terrible mistake. It could have been a revolution that Scottish football needed - fans being able to stream any game across the top tier as they watched the season end. This could have helped bring in income for many teams. Instead many fans will instead turn to the EPL instead - how many of those will start watching that league over the Scottish football when it finally does return? 

Inept referees. Agricultural tackling. Small crowds. Plastic pitches. Diabolical governing was all the Scottish football needed.