Aberdeen’s game with St Johnstone is CALLED OFF after two Dons players tested positive for coronavirus and six more went into self-isolation following team trip to crowded bar …
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Aberdeen’s Scottish Premiership match away to St Johnstone has been postponed after two of their players tested positive for Covid-19.
A further six Aberdeen players are currently self-isolating after a team trip to the city’s Soul Bar last Saturday.
Aberdeen cancelled training on Thursday after one player tested positive, with it later being established that a second player had caught coronavirus. They are both asymptomatic.
Aberdeen’s Scottish Premiership match against St Johnstone has been postponed after two of their players tested positive for Covid-19
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon put the city of Aberdeen back into lockdown on Wednesday after the amount of coronavirus cases doubled in 24 hours.
Sturgeon said more than 20 pubs and restaurants had been linked to a cluster which had formed in Aberdeen.
A total of 79 cases have now been diagnosed in the city, with bars and restaurants shut down for a week at 5pm on Thursday.
Speaking on Friday, Sturgeon said that the actions of the Aberdeen players were ‘completely unacceptable’.
She said: ‘Two players from Aberdeen Football Club are amongst those who have tested positive. In addition a further six players have been identified as being in close proximity with one of those individuals and they are all therefore self-isolating.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the actions of the Aberdeen players as ‘completely unacceptable’
‘It is now clear that all eight of these players visited a bar in Aberdeen on Saturday night. In doing so they blatantly broke the rules that had been agreed between the SFA, the SPFL and the Scottish government, which to put it mildly is completely unacceptable.
‘This morning the Scottish government convened a meeting with the SFA and the SPFL, and following those discussions the football authorities have confirmed that the game between Aberdeen and St Johnstone, scheduled for tomorrow in Perth, will not now go ahead.
‘I think that is the right decision. We are expecting members of the public to behave in a highly precautionary manner right now, and when a football club ends up with players infected with Covid-19, and let’s remember this is not through bad luck but clear breaches of the rules, we cannot take even a small risk that could then spread the infection to other parts of the country.’
Sturgeon added that clubs will be reminded of the guidance that they must follow and warned that if they do not comply with the rules then the return of the game will be put at risk.
Six more Aberdeen players are self-isolating following a team trip to a crowded bar
She said: ‘The Scottish government will also be contacting all club captains and managers to emphasise the importance of complying with the guidance.
‘Let me take the opportunity to emphasise the importance of that directly now. Football has been given the go-ahead on the strict condition that clubs and players abide by the guidance that has been agreed. If they don’t do that they put at risk the return of the professional game.’
Joe Fitzpatrick, Scotland’s minster for public health and sport, called a meeting with the Scottish FA and Scottish Professional Football League on Friday to discuss the situation.
Aberdeen were in action on the opening weekend of the new season as they lost 1-0 at home to Rangers.
Players in Scotland are to stay in close contact with each other on the condition they remain in their bubble.
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