Scottish Football Association Permitted To Have Fans At Hampden Park Final
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has been granted approval by UEFA to have fans in attendance for this season’s Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, reversing their previous announcement that no spectators would be permitted.
It had been stated that there would be no fans at Hampden Park for the game between Hibernian and St Johnstone on May 22nd, as the venue will have already been handed over to European football’s governing body for Glasgow’s staging of Euro 2020 games.
The SFA earlier announced it had received approval from the Government to allow for up to 25% capacity for the four games at Hampden Park, equating to around 12,000 fans. It has now stated it has received UEFA approval for a revised proposal that will enable a limited number of supporters to attend the Scottish Cup final. The Government said last month that Scottish sports fans could return to stadia and arena from May 17th as part of the staged recovery efforts from COVID‑19 restrictions. Barring a handful of fixtures, Scottish football clubs have been forced to play behind closed doors since the global pandemic took hold in March 2020.
However, the Government confirmed that a maximum of 500 fans could be allowed back inside stadia from May 17th, subject to physical distancing conditions being observed and advice being followed. The SFA has now made a submission to Government for permission to increase the number of spectators from the maximum 500 permitted under Level 2 restrictions. It is understood that the SFA is now seeking a capacity of between 1,500 and 3,000 fans.
The SFA said in a statement: “We are grateful to UEFA for removing the condition that required the final to be played behind closed doors, after the postponement of the tie from May 8th to 22nd due to the suspension of football during the second wave of the pandemic.
“We await a positive response from the Scottish Government and will communicate final confirmation of maximum supporter numbers with Hibernian and St Johnstone as soon as possible to enable ticket sales to proceed.”
