Motherwell have been sent a strongly-worded letter by St Mirren chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick over comments made by Well coach Maurice Ross.
At the last hour on Saturday, the Buddies and Steelmen’s Premiership fixture was postponed. This was due to another positive Covid-19 case in the Paisley camp, taking their confirmed total up to three following two confirmed cases in the build-up to this game.
Ross, appearing on BBC Sportsound at the weekend, commented that teams should be made to forfeit fixtures if they cannot be fulfilled, stating the current guidelines give scope for clubs across the SPFL to be ‘opportunistic.’
But in a letter to Motherwell chief executive Alan Burrows, now made public by the Buddies, Saint chief Tony Fitzpatrick has hit out at these claims.
“I am writing to express my disappointment at the comments of Maurice Ross on the above Podcast following the postponement of the fixture between our respective clubs on Saturday 17 October,” it reads.
“In particular I deprecate any suggestion that we or any other football club would take advantage of this pandemic for personal gain. Any notion that we have been “opportunistic” in seeking to discharge our public health responsibilities is a fallacy.
“I cannot fathom why Mr Ross would seek to publicly call into question the integrity of a fellow SPFL member club for adhering to the agreed protocols which are in place to protect players, officials and clubs.
“As we, and all football clubs in Scotland, try to navigate our way through these difficult times the comments of Mr Ross are both unfortunate and unhelpful.
“With respect I would suggest Mr Ross might want to reflect on the comments which he broadcast to the nation and I am sure he will support your fellow clubs in being hyper vigilant as we work together to tackle this virus. I would be grateful if he could avoid such derisory language in future.”