Celtic legend Neil Lennon, now manager of Dunfermline Athletic, has launched a furious attack on the SPFL, branding their recent fixture scheduling decisions as an “absolute disgrace.”
Lennon has guided the Pars into the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, where they are set to face Hibernian, but a rescheduled Scottish Championship match against Partick Thistle has thrown the team’s preparations into chaos.
The rearranged fixture comes just six days before the cup tie, leaving Lennon and his squad facing a hectic schedule.
Explaining his frustration to The Courier, Lennon said:
“Last week, we got the call from the League to tell us that we have to play the Thistle game on Tuesday, which is a disgrace. It could have been put back a few weeks or into next month. Now, we’re going into the Aberdeen game, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. We’re getting no favours in that aspect and, for me, that was unnecessary.
“We’re getting no help. We’ve asked for help, and we’re not getting it. They’ve come up with some half-baked excuses about replays or international breaks. So, what we’re doing is congesting all these games into a two or three-week period, in the most important period of our season, with a quarter-final looming in the background as well, against top opposition. It’s going to be really demanding on the squad. I’ve got to think about the players’ welfare as well and it is not fair on supporters.”
Lennon added that the last-minute nature of the call made the situation even more frustrating:
“We got a call and then we have to arrange it for a Tuesday night, [with the call coming] just a few days before that. We’re told in the end that’s the way it’s going to be. For me, it’s grossly unfair – on the club, on the fans, and on the playing staff.”
Lennon is no stranger to Scottish Cup success, having won the trophy four times as Celtic manager. His first triumph came in 2011 with a 3-0 win over Motherwell at Hampden, followed by a league and cup double in 2013 with another 3-0 victory, this time over Hibernian. His third Scottish Cup win also helped secure a permanent managerial role after his interim spell, famously accepting the job in the shower area after Odsonne Edouard’s late winner against Hearts.
For Lennon, the congested schedule is not just a logistical headache — it’s a matter of fairness, player welfare, and respect for fans, and he is determined to make that message heard loud and clear.
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