The 2020-21 Scottish Premiership season will begin in August after the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and Sky Sports on Wednesday agreed a framework for top-flight soccer in the country to resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With games set to be played in empty stadiums, Scottish Premiership clubs will offer "virtual season tickets" to fans to provide an alternative source of matchday income, SPFL said in a statement here Forty eight matches in the season will be broadcast live by Sky Sports, the SPFL said, adding that a deal had been agreed to “spread financial settlement for games unable to be completed in season 2019-20 across the term of the new five-year contract”. The 2019-20 season was called off due to the coronavirus outbreak, with Celtic crowned champions for a record-equalling ninth successive campaign. “This is an innovative and pragmatic solution to the challenges posed by COVID-19. I'm grateful for the flexibility shown by our clubs and by Sky Sports,” SPFL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster said. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)