Scottish Premier League Reveals Swine Flu Policy

The Scottish Premier League has issued a statement warning clubs that swine flu will only affect fixtures if their squads are decimated.

Rangers midfielder Jerome Rothen is the latest player reported to have contracted the virus and he has returned to France for treatment.

The on-loan Paris St Germain midfielder was absent from Rangers' midweek defeat by Stuttgart, with boss Walter Smith originally describing the problem as sinus-related.

But it now seems the Rothen has contracted the H1N1 virus and will miss Saturday’s SPL clash with Aberdeen.

SPL secretary Iain Blair revealed that fixtures will go ahead unless there are widespread infections.

"In line with our long-standing policy and consistent with UEFA's recent announcement in respect of its competitions, as long as a club has enough eligible players to make up a squad, then their Clydesdale Bank Premier League matches will go ahead as scheduled.

"Other footballing authorities have communicated a similar position recently and we felt it was important that our clubs and their supporters understood our approach."