It’s all cash and computers for greedy UEFA

Gordon Strachan has played down any worries about Scotland being forced to play the vital Euro qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on June 13 by UEFA.

But I’m sure that, privately, he’d like to throw UEFA’s computer into Lake Leman, near their Nyon headquarters. Instead of this being an end-of-season fixture, it’s so far into the year it’s almost a pre-season encounter!

The Scotland manager doesn’t want to concede a psychological advantage to the Irish or give his players a ready-made excuse, should the result in Dublin make it more difficult to qualify for the Finals in France. Hence his down-playing of the matter.

But the SFA would never willingly have agreed to this date, given it will come six weeks after many in Strachan’s squad have played a competitive game.

Former Scotland boss Craig Brown always insisted June was the worst month possible for an international.

So back in the days when countries were left to arrange their own dates for qualifiers, Scotland rarely, if ever, played an important game then.

Now UEFA’s computer decides when qualifiers are played.

Europe’s governing body is more concerned about giving as much exposure as possible to their flagship competition, the Champions League. Nothing is allowed to distract from that money-making machine.

The beaks in Switzerland insist ties in the later stages of the competition take place on separate nights to maximise TV coverage.

They don’t even allow domestic League games to clash with their dates.

So with every midweek date accounted for until the Champions League Final in Berlin on June 6, the final round of Euro qualifiers have been put back to the following weekend.

Most of Scotland’s players presently come from clubs in the English Championship. That officially ended last weekend.

So David Marshall, Ikechi Anya, Matt Ritchie, Gordon Greer, Jordan Rhodes, Barry Bannan, Craig Forsyth, Stevie May and Johnny Russell will have to retain match fitness until the friendly with Qatar at Easter Road on June 5.

At least Russell Martin, Steven Whittaker and Christophe Berra will have a couple of play-off matches to help.

While the Republic face the same problem, at least they have organised a couple of meaningful friendlies a closed-door encounter with Northern Ireland, followed by a full-blooded meeting with England.

But aside from game time, what will Gordon Strachan possibly gain from playing Qatar at Easter Road?