THE SFA have refused to rule out a historic proposal of giving the twice-postponed Old Firm League clash precedence over the Scottish Cup quarter-final weekend in March - but no decision will be made until the end of the month.

SFA rules currently dictate that the cup competition should always take priority over league games, but given the special circumstances involving the Old Firm tie, the rule book could be ripped up.

A lunchtime Old Firm meeting on Saturday, March 8 - the current date for the quarter-finals - could be arranged for the game, despite the fact it is plausible Celtic and Rangers will both still be in the Scottish Cup.

"It is something we will consider if they come to us with that proposal," said SFA Chief Executive, Gordon Smith.

"The Scottish Cup takes precedence, but the matter will only be considered and referred to the board if an application is put forward."

Both Old Firm clubs have SPL, Scottish Cup and European commitments until mid-March and the SFA will wait until the end of the month before coming to a decision.

"We will wait and see how some of the other fixtures go," said Greg Mailer, SPL spokesman.

"For example, the CIS Cup semis have still to be played and we will have a better idea of how we stand when we know which teams have gone through as regards future fixture dates.

"Games will have to be postponed because we have a full card scheduled for the same weekend as the CIS Cup Final in the middle of March.

"Once we know who is in the CIS Cup Final that could help free up some dates."

Mailer, meanwhile, has insisted that there will be no knee-jerk reaction about a winter break after the recent fixture chaos.

"The current fixture problems have nothing to do with the fact there is not a winter break," said Mailer. "The games that have been postponed this season were because of the Scotland game. We postponed a couple then and postponed one to allow Rangers to prepare for a European game against Lyon.

"Other matches were then postponed after the Phil O'Donnell tragedy and we have lost only one game in the SPL this season because of the elements.

"That was St Mirren v Rangers last week and that was down to heavy rainfall. In Scotland that can happen at any time of the year."

Former Scotland manager and current Uefa technical director Andy Roxburgh, however, believes a winter break would boost the national team's chances of making an impact in the finals of a major tournament.

"This was a topic for debate when I was the Scotland coach," he said. "It is amazing to think we are still talking about it all these years later.

"In Germany, they have traditionally closed down for a spell in the winter. In France and Spain they also stop playing briefly over the festive period."

He added: "The players who show up the best in the finals of either the European Championship or the World Cup are those who have been injured or those who have had a break.

"I was speaking to Morten Olsen (Denmark manager) about this the other day. Even having just a two or three-week break is advantageous.

"Having a break, no matter how short, during the season is beneficial to the players both physically and mentally. The demands being made on them are so great now."