Jason Leitch: Don’t go writing the date for Scottish Premiership return on your calendars just yet

Football fans have been warned that it is far from certain the Premiership will restart on August 1.

Scotland’s top-flight clubs have been told they can start training on June 11.

But Professor Jason Leitch, national clinical director for healthcare, urged people not to get too excited about games being held eight weeks after that.

He said: “I’m not sure people should write August 1 on their calendars quite yet.

“There’s a long way to go before then.

“With a fair wind, the virus behaving itself and the population behaving, you could put August 1 in a shaded pencil.

“Don’t get over-excited. That’s what we told the sporting bodies.

“It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare for that, of course we should.”

Leitch was involved, along with sports minister Joe FitzPatrick, in a meeting with the major sporting bodies at the end of last week.

He added: “I saw very detailed plans that were very considered.

“Dr John MacLean represents football and is clearly being listened to by the SPFL and the SFA.

“The planning is one thing, the go-ahead is an entirely different thing.

“I was impressed with their plans but we did not give them the go-ahead.

“We told them this is phase one of the route out of lockdown and you cannot do whole team training. What you can do is physically-distanced, two household training.

“We can’t tell you when phase two will start.

“Phase two will come if phase one works.

“We were very clear about that. Although Phase Two will allow them to do more, we can’t give them a date when that will be possible.”

Celtic issued a statement expressing their hope that a fixture calendar for the forthcoming season can be issued by the SPFL as soon as possible.

Chief executive Peter Lawwell, who contributed to the meeting, said: “Everyone at Celtic warmly welcomes the decision in principle to a phased return to training and matches, while fully accepting that all decisions made in this regard must continue to have the safety and well-being of all concerned at their core.

“The important work we have done will be crucial as we move forward. We need to get back to football, safely, as soon as possible. That is our message and is our aim.”

Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes believes clubs have no option to assume there will be games starting on August 1.

He said: “We will work towards August 1 until someone tells us differently.

“A lot of things have to be complied with for us to reach that start date, but I think it is something we have to work towards.

“If it was pushed back, then we will revisit how the training programme looks.”