Hampden Park will be closed to football for almost a year from November 2013 to stage the Commonwealth Games.
Work to install an athletics track will begin in just over a years time meaning that domestic cup semi’s and finals will have to be staged elsewhere.
Hampden has hosted all domestic semi’s and finals since 1999 when the stadium redevelopment was completed with the construction of the South Stand.
During the 90’s may finals were moved away from the national stadium with Celtic Park hosting the 1998 Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Hearts with Celtic winning the 1997 Coca Cola Cup Final against Dundee United at Ibrox.
That period never brought about a Celtic v Rangers final although the 1998 Scottish Cup Semi-Final between the two clubs was staged at Celtic Park after the 1993 League Cup Semi-Final had been hosted at Ibrox.
Announcing the decision yesterday the SFA stated: “We support the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee’s efforts in bringing world-class athletics to the city and, in particular, to the home of football. Hampden Park is an iconic part of Glasgow’s history and heritage and, rightly, it should be the centrepiece for the Commonwealth Games activities.
“Naturally, this will have an impact on Scotland international matches and Scottish Cup ties but we promised our support to the bid from the beginning and today reaffirms that backing.
“Contingency plans are well underway with prospective venues and I am sure all sports fans will understand the need to give Glasgow 2014 and Hampden Park Ltd our full support.”
Third Division leaders Queens Park will switch their matches to Lesser Hampden during the renovations.
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I hope they overhaul the people in the offices while they are doing all these renovations!
Don’t bother reopening it, the views are terrible,the dj and pa system belting out has beens from 80’s, stupid half-time competitions, the completely sexist use of scantily clad young women, dreadful catering and traffic chaos – what’s there to miss? Take the domestic cup games and Scotland games around the country, there’s certainly an underused stadium a few miles away that’s desperate for income