NICOLA Sturgeon has slammed eight Aberdeen players for visiting an Aberdeen bar at the weekend, breaking rules agreed between sporting bodies and the Scottish Government.
It has emerged that two players have tested positive for Covid-19, while a further six players were identified as having been in close contact with them.
Tomorrow’s game between Aberdeen and St Johnstone has now been called off.
Speaking at the Scottish Government briefing, the First Minister confirmed there are now 101 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Aberdeen cluster outbreak.
READ MORE: Aberdeen footballer tests positive for coronavirus as cases spike in city
The city faces tight restrictions as a result of the outbreak. People living there cannot enter others’ homes and should not travel more than five miles for recreational purposes, while indoor and outdoor hospitality venues have been shut.
People living outside of Aberdeen should not visit the city.
The First Minister said: "It is now clear that all eight of these players visited a bar in Aberdeen on Saturday night.
“In doing so, they blatantly broke the rules that had been agreed, between the SFA, the SPFL and the Scottish Government which, to put it mildly, is completely unacceptable.
"This morning, the Scottish Government convened a meeting with the SFA and the SPFL. And following those discussions, the football authorities have confirmed that the game between Aberdeen and St Johnston – scheduled for tomorrow in Perth – will not now go ahead.
"I think that is the right decision. We are expecting members of the public to behave in a highly precautionary manner right now.
"When a football club ends up with players infected with Covid - not through bad luck, but through clear breaches of the rules - we cannot take even a small risk that they then spread the infection to other parts of the country."
Sturgeon said the Scottish Government will be contacting all club captains and managers to stress the importance of complying with guidance.
She stressed that football has been allowed to restart on the “strict condition” that clubs and players abide with the guidance.
The First Minister added if this guidance is not adhered to, football is “at risk”.
She went on: “To say that this incident is deeply regrettable is an understatement. But it underlines an extremely important point.
"Any time one of us fails to abide by the rules, we put others at risk. And we give this virus the chance to come roaring back."
Sturgeon’s condemnation of the players came as she announced a further 43 new cases have been confirmed in Scotland over the last 24 hours.
There were no deaths of people who have received a positive coronavirus test in the last 28 days.
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