Scottish football will be given a fan update today but it’s unlikely to be good news for the thousands of Season Ticket holders who haven’t been able to step inside a ground this season.
March 7 was the last date that Celtic Park was opened up to fans with little sign of a resumption as the anniversary approaches.
Peter Lawwell tried as far back as last June to get permission for a test match at Celtic Park but that never got off the ground with only Aberdeen and Ross County hosting crowds of 300 fans this season before those limited plans were abandoned.
Hampden Park is due to host two Scotland matches at this summer’s European Championship Finals but while plans are afoot for Wembley to be full it seems that a half full Hampden might be as good as it gets for Scotland.
The Daily Record reports:
According to the Prime Minister’s road map out of lockdown the national stadium could be operating at 100 per cent capacity in time for Steve Clarke’s final Euro 2020 group match showdown with Croatia on June 22.
And that would also allow fans to return to club grounds up and down the country for the beginning of the next domestic season.
But the game’s governors are now anxiously awaiting confirmation from Holyrood that the PM’s ambitious time frame for opening up will be endorsed and adopted by the Scottish Government.
They fear Nicola Sturgeon will on Tuesday announce a more cautious approach which could crush any hope of Clarke and his team playing in front of a full house during the European Finals.
And they also suspect the First Minister’s timetable for lifting lockdown north of the border could hammer the final nail into this season’s Scottish Cup as well as the currently suspended SPFL campaigns across League One and League Two.
Under Johnson’s plan crowds of up to 10,000 spectators could be allowed from May 17 – the day after the final round of Scottish top flight fixtures.
But that means limited numbers of supporters could be back before the end of the domestic season for the Premiership play-off Final double header later that same week.
Celtic have four more home matches to play this season, having some fans back before May would go some way towards encouraging fans to buy Season Tickets for the 2021/22 season.
