THE retaken penalty which earned Argentina such an improbable 3-3 draw in Paris two months ago continues to haunt the women's national team. As an interview with head coach Shelley Kerr last week revealed, alcohol was consumed by members of the coaching staff ahead of a meeting with the players at the team hotel the following day.
Had the penalty not gone in, the Scotland party would have spent the 24 hours differently. They would still have been at their Paris hotel, but instead eagerly awaiting the outcomes of Groups E and F that evening – outcomes which would have confirmed a historic qualification for the knock-out stages and a trip to Grenoble for a last 16 game against Germany.
Instead, the enormous frustrations and emotions of letting slip a 3-0 lead boiled over at the meeting and after it. The Scottish FA hoped to keep a lid on what happened – and it isn't disputed that some players were reduced to tears – but, inevitably, the story leaked out.
To keep it in perspective, nobody had to be rescued from a rowing boat on the Seine, as was the case for the late Jimmy Johnstone at Largs ahead of the 1974 World Cup. Nevertheless, the tale is depressingly reminiscent of previous men's team episodes and sends out entirely the wrong message just as the sport in Scotland, thanks to World Cup qualification, is achieving long overdue recognition.
The revelation completely overshadowed what was supposed to be the purpose of Thursday – Kerr naming her squad for the opening Euro 2021 qualifier against Cyprus at Easter Road on August 30. All the World Cup players have made themselves available for the Euros, and Kerr added others who have been on the periphery, bringing the number up to a highly unusual 27.
That will be reduced by four the day before the game, but by far the most important issue to be resolved is any continuing friction between the coaching staff and the players. If the latter, or at least some of them, remain unhappy at what happened in France, reconciliation must be achieved.
Beating Cyprus, who are ranked 117 in the world, won't be an issue. But Scotland cannot go into the rest of the qualifying campaign with the events of June 20 hanging over them.
TWO players, Christie Murray and Lana Clelland, could not be considered for the Easter Road game because of injury. Murray is expected to be back soon, but the news about Clelland is not so good.
Incredibly, it appears the striker played in France while carrying an ACL injury. The Fiorentina player has had an operation and is out for the foreseeable future.
RUSSIA and the Czech Republic are the destinations for Glasgow City and Hibernian in the last 32 of the Champions League. The former look to have a far better chance of progressing to the next round – their opponents, WFC Chertanovo, have taken just one point from their last five games in the Supreme Division.
Hibs, who won the lottery by being drawn against three mediocre sides in their qualifying group, face a Slavia Prague side who have reached the quarter-finals in each of the last two seasons.
CELTIC face a big test at Petershill Park this afternoon. Eddie Wolecki Black's side can move to within two points of Glasgow City with a win, albeit having played a game more.
Should they lose, it seems inevitable that City will make it a record 13-in-a-row. They would be eight points ahead of Celtic and Hibs, have a game in hand over both, and the SWPL1 title would effectively be won after just 12 of their 21 scheduled games.
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