Petrie: 'Harsh lessons learned from Aberdeen incident'

“Harsh lessons have been learned” in Scottish football after Aberdeen players broke lockdown rules for a night out.

The football community moved to assure the Scottish government after a meeting with Jason Leitch over the incident that has left the Dons without eight first team players for their midweek game, if it goes ahead.

The managers and captains of all 12 Scottish Premiership clubs held a video call with Scotland’s national clinical director on Monday.

The discussions came three days after Aberdeen’s trip to face St Johnstone was postponed following Scottish Government intervention after two Dons players tested positive for Covid-19 and a further six were instructed to self-isolate following an ill-judged night out.

They now face a wait see if their clash with Hamilton will get the go-ahead amid a coronavirus spike in the city.

The First Minister had warned Scottish football a repeat of the incident could see the national game lose its privileges after being granted permission to hold matches during the pandemic.

The football representatives were reminded of their responsibilities in relation to the protocols set out for them in particular and also the public in general.

Rod Petrie, chair of Scottish football’s Joint Response Group (JRG), said in a statement: “The JRG is thankful to Professor Leitch, as well as the managers and captains of Scottish Premiership clubs, for facilitating a video call to reinforce the message that Scottish football is serious in its commitment to helping the country emerge from the Covid crisis as safely as possible.

“The events of last week were deeply regrettable but the JRG commends the immediate response by the Aberdeen owner, David Cormack, and the manager, Derek McInnes, in dealing with the matter and providing government with the necessary confidence that there will be no repeat.

“Scottish football must continue to work together to ensure the national game remains a safe and secure environment for all participants, but it must also be mindful of its role in promoting and protecting public health messages, behaviours and obligations.

“Harsh lessons have been learned by Aberdeen that will have been heeded by the rest of Scottish football and that message was made clear to Professor Leitch this evening.”

Aberdeen are set to host Hamilton on Wednesday without the eight self-isolating players – Jonny Hayes, Michael Devlin, Scott McKenna, Matty Kennedy, Sam Cosgrove, Dylan McGeouch, Craig Bryson and Bruce Anderson.