Ross County to forfeit cup opener against Forfar Athletic

Ross County is unable to fulfill the League Cup fixture after a number of positive cases at the Dingwall club.

Ross County has confirmed that they forfeited their Scottish League Cup opener at Forfar Athletic following a coronavirus outbreak at the club.

On Tuesday after a number of players and coaching staff tested positive the Premiership side stopped all football operations.

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Ross County confirmed they are unable to fulfill the match on Saturday. This has resulted in the SPFL board awarding Forfar Athletic a 3-0 win.

An SPFL spokesman said in a statement to Sky Sports: “Consistent with the announcements in respect of similar issues in the group stage of last year’s competition, any team unable or unwilling to field a team in a Premier Sports Cup round one group stage tie, will forfeit the match on the basis of a 3-0 defeat.

“Accordingly, Forfar Athletic have been awarded a 3-0 win in the tie.

“This announcement demonstrates the continuing threat of disruption to SPFL competitions by Covid-19, particularly given the current levels of transmission of the virus throughout the country.

“We wish the affected players and staff the very best in their recovery and will continue to liaise with Ross County in the coming days.”

Ross County says they are working with all authorities. They also hope to re-open their football department next week.

Under new boss Malky Mackay, County began their pre-season at the weekend with a 5-0 rout at Elgin City.

The Moray club has just come out of a 10-day period of isolation with a significant number of their players having just recovered from the virus.

World Health Organisation (WHO) figures revealed that the country is home to the three worst-hit areas in Europe, with three others making it into the top 10.