Coronavirus: Kilmarnock and St Mirren sanctioned for breaches of Covid-19 protocols
Motherwell awarded 3-0 win for postponed match against Kilmarnock in October; Motherwell and Hamilton awarded 3-0 wins against St Mirren after matches postponed; Kilmarnock and St Mirren both 'disappointed' at outcome
Thursday 3 December 2020 21:49, UK
Kilmarnock and St Mirren have both been consigned to Scottish Premiership defeats after being found guilty of breaches of coronavirus protocols.
Following a disciplinary tribunal, Motherwell have been awarded 3-0 wins over both sides and Hamilton have been handed a 3-0 victory over St Mirren, after positive Covid-19 tests caused games to be postponed.
A Scottish Professional Football League statement declared that Kilmarnock's breaches included a failure of physical distancing on a coach and during a pre-match meal.
St Mirren admitted the same breaches plus "failing to provide suitable facilities to enable players to observe physical distancing at training and also accepted that players had been car sharing to and from training".
A spokesperson for the SPFL said: "The Covid-19 Regulations put in place by the SPFL and the detailed protocols issued by the SPFL/Scottish FA Joint Response Group are intended to enable Season 2020/21 to continue with the minimum of disruption and the minimum risk for those players and coaching staff involved.
"Strict adherence to these regulations and protocols is therefore crucially important in order for Season 20/21 to be completed as scheduled.
"We note the admission by each of Kilmarnock and St Mirren that they breached SPFL Regulations and commend both clubs for the measures that their boards have recently put in place to avoid a repeat of the circumstances that led to the postponement of these matches in October."
The clubs were also handed £40,000 fines, suspended until June 2021.
A St Mirren statement read: "St Mirren Football Club is disappointed with the outcome of the SPFL disciplinary hearing into the circumstances surrounding our postponed fixtures against Motherwell and Hamilton.
"The club operated honestly throughout the whole process and will review its position before issuing a further response."
Kilmarnock were also unhappy about the sanctions and said: "Kilmarnock Football Club is bitterly disappointed with the outcome of the SPFL disciplinary hearing into the circumstances surrounding the postponement of our match with Motherwell.
"The club is currently discussing our position with our legal representatives and will make further comment in due course."
Kilmarnock released a further statement on Thursday evening, which read in part: "Following the outcome of our SPFL tribunal, we feel it is imperative to outline to our supporters why we feel so aggrieved by today's sanctions.
"In relation to the two issues outlined by the tribunal: the club more than followed what it considered was appropriate, which was the 1m Scottish Government physical distancing guidelines for hospitality venues and, in regards to coach travel, the policies and procedures also aligned with what we considered to be Scottish Government protocols.
"Unfortunately, the tribunal did not agree with this interpretation.
"Given we remain in the midst of a global pandemic with restrictions reimposed across the country, we always saw this as an opportunity for the football authorities to review their handling of Covid-related issues and update their guidance in light of increased knowledge around the virus and encourage a culture of sharing best practice across football.
"Instead, we feel that Kilmarnock FC and other clubs have been subjected to sanctions-based approach by the SPFL, which has proved costly, time consuming and caused considerable stress to all involved.
"In the wake of our case, we believe it is imperative that official guidelines for all SPFL clubs are updated as a matter of urgency and allow the season to continue with as little disruption as possible."
