If Celtic’s Cup Final Was Another Week Away, We Would Be Lucky If It Went Ahead.

The walls are closing in on us now folks.

The case numbers are rising fast. Omicron is the dominant variant in many parts of the country. We don’t know enough about this yet, although information is trickling in day by day.

We’re in an increasingly bad place.

At a time when the country is trying to stem the flow of this thing, allowing a national cup final to take place appears to be nothing short of utter folly. If the final was a week further down the line, I have serious doubts that it would be going ahead.

At this point, I think the January game is in serious danger.

David Martindale is a pure fool, but his “circuit breaker” idea is certainly not the stupidest thing I’ve heard. Suspending football a few weeks earlier than it otherwise would be makes a lot of sense.

The stasis at government level both north and south of the border is astonishing, although I believe that if she had the power to do it whilst guaranteeing businesses in lockdown I firmly believe we’d be back in one already.

The problem is, her hands are tied.

By the time January comes around, there is a likliehood that hospitals will be filling up. That entire sections of the economy will have taken a beating whether London provides more funds or not. The caseload will be overwhelming.

A football match going ahead might be the least of our concerns. Every bit of action we aren’t taking now will cost us in the weeks to come … this weekend’s game is lunacy in light of that. It is nearly unthinkable that we’ll be able to have that massive on in January.

Football itself is taking a beating. Two clubs in the SPFL are already reeling.

Others soon will be.

Four games in the Premiership south of the border have been cancelled this weekend. Countries around Europe are cutting attendances and sooner or later might face having to exclude fans from the grounds altogether.

There is no guarantee it won’t happen here.

Nicola Sturgeon has just spoken and given an update. The very first question she was asked was on football. The first question. This is how she answered it.

“My advice to people right now is ‘please limit your social interactions no matter what your interactions may be.’ … I am asking people to stay at home as much as they can. All I can do right now is ask people to modify their own behaviour.”

But she made it plain that if she was able to offer businesses support and compensation that she would be recommending that major events be cancelled.

So keep on watching the news.

Keep on watching the numbers.

We will get our cup final this weekend, and I’ll be there, masked up and playing it as safe as I can.

Do the same.

If you’re going to attend the game, there are ways to limit the risks.

I cannot urge you enough to embrace them, for the sake of yourself and others.