Managers react: 'One person makes a mistake ... it gets exaggerated tenfold'

Scottish football faces a second coronavirus shutdown “if mistakes continue to happen”, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has warned.

Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli issued an apology after he failed to self-isolate before playing against Kilmarnock, having made a trip to Spain during the week.

The Scottish Government is now holding hold crunch talks with the SFA and SPFL on Tuesday morning to discuss the ramifications of the latest breach of coronavirus rules, and has warned the season could be paused.

Last week, two Aberdeen players tested positive for Covid-19 – and a further six were forced to self-isolate – following a group night out in the city centre.

Ibrox boss Gerrard, along with the other Premiership managers and club captains, took part in a Zoom call on Monday night with government officials where a message reminding them all of their responsibilities was hammered home.

Gerrard said: “It is a concern and a worry, if mistakes continue to happen, there’s no doubt about it that the football season will be cancelled.

“That’s not what I want or what anyone wants at Rangers or throughout Scottish football.

“We’re not putting any extra measures in place, but what we are doing is reminding everyone of our responsibility at this current time.”

Meanwhile, Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson insists the whole of Scottish football shouldn’t be punished for individual errors.

The Northern Irishman talked up football’s role as a key contributor to the economy and warned jobs will be lost if the game is shut down.

He said: “People will lose jobs, the industry will go to pieces, make no mistake about that.

“I just don’t think in any shape or form Scottish football should be closed down. It’s individual errors, if they are true.

“I see from every club and every person I speak to in Scottish football, we are doing more than any other industry, ten times more, but it doesn’t sell papers.

“When one person makes a mistake it goes all over the place and gets exaggerated tenfold. I am not condoning anything that happened but it is being dealt with.”