Dumbarton manager Jim Duffy has suggested that next season’s winter break in Scotland could be scrapped in order to overcome the fixture chaos caused by the coronavirus.
With the Scottish FA extending their suspension of all football across the country from April 3 until April 30 at the very least, the Sons boss reckons that having no winter break in the 2020/21 campaign could go a long way to quelling the disruption.
UEFA this week urged clubs to have their domestic seasons completed by the end of June – a date which a source inside the SFA described as ‘fantasy’.
The European Championships, due to be played this summer, have been pushed back to 2021 as football across the world continues to be affected by the pandemic.
The Sons boss has thrown his solution for Scottish football into the mix, but admits that there is a lot more to consider than just arranging a time and a date for a football match.
“There’s a lot to consider when it comes to playing through the summer,” he said, “but I certainly think they could extend the season and cancel the winter break next year to try and catch up on a few games.
“The full-time clubs have maybe got a bit more flexibility, but the part-time clubs will have players working or if they and their families have plans during the summer.
“Everyone will throw their ideas into a hat, but there’s a lot more logistical things to consider rather than just ‘can we play a game at this time?’.
READ MORE: Dumbarton boss Jim Duffy seeking long-term answers after SFA chiefs suspend league
“It’s much more complicated with the policing and ambulances and all the other services that you require to play football.
“There’s many more things to it rather than just a fixture list to consider.
“I’ll just sit back and allow the people in those roles with those responsibilities to make that call. I’ve got the responsibility to try and coach a football team and I’ll stick to that.
“It’s not going to be a unanimous decision but they’ve got to find something that’s in the best interests of everyone and that’ll be the test.”
Elsewhere, a board meeting took place at The C&G Systems Stadium late last week where club officials met to discuss the next steps for the Sons.
A club statement read: “It goes without saying that the current situation will inflict financial blows on the club and your support will be needed now and in the future.”
A statement following the meeting, released on Friday, revealed that supporters will be able to make financial contributions to the club after all avenues have been explored.
The SFA have also made £1.5 million available to struggling teams in this time of crisis with president Rod Petrie saying: “Given the financial uncertainty faced by clubs, we have looked at areas of distribution where we can accelerate and pay now, rather than wait to pay on the usual distribution dates.
“The combined amount forward funded in this way is approximately £1.5m, which we believe will be of great support to clubs who face uncertainty and, worse still, a significant loss of revenue as a result of the impact of coronavirus in Scotland.”
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