The SPL have fairly sprung into action over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic. They have advised clubs swine flu will only affect fixtures if their squads are decimated. Far be it from me to say; but is that not the case with all illnesses?Rangers midfielder Jerome Rothen missed the Champions League defeat by Stuttgart with what manager Walter Smith described as sinus problems but doctors now suspect he has the H1N1 virus. The on-loan Paris St Germain midfielder has returned to France for treatment. will miss Saturday's SPL game at Aberdeen but fixtures are unlikely to be affected unless there are widespread infections.

SPL secretary Iain Blair said: "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."