Fans are set to be locked out of next month’s Scottish Cup Final – despite the lifting of Scotland’s coronavirus lockdown.
Record Sport understands the SFA have decided not to switch the end of season showpiece away from Hampden after weeks of discussions behind the scenes with potential alternative venues, including Celtic Park, Ibrox and BT Murrayfield.
The national stadium will be closed for renovation works ahead of hosting this summer’s Euro 2020 finals with UEFA being handed the keys to the stadium from May 14.
And the SFA are now resigned to staging their own crown jewel event behind closed doors even though the list of potential options appeared to be increased Ibrox on Sunday night when Rangers were knocked out by St Johnstone.
But we understand talks took place on Monday when it was quickly established that Rangers ground could not be considered as a venue.
It had been hoped that up to 2,000 supporters might be allowed to attend the May 22 showdown, as restrictions across the country will be relaxed further from May 17.
But those paltry numbers would not be enough to cover the financial costs involved of opening up the turnstiles, hiring stewards, adhering to strict government Covid-19 protocols and shelling out to rent another ground.
A source confirmed to us: “The Cup Final will go ahead at Hampden with no fans allowed. It’s a frustrating scenario for football in this country but it’s simply not feasible to move it elsewhere for a wide range of reasons.
“In some cases plans have already been made to start ripping up pitches and laying new playing surfaces as soon as the current Premiership campaign is over which rules them out of the equation.
“But, on top of that, it’s down to practicalities and the cost of moving the match to another venue. Players often talk about getting the chance to play at the national stadium. They want to have their own Hampden moment, even if it’s behind closed doors.
“Everyone wants fans back as soon as possible. The discussions have been exhaustive and going on since the government first published its road map out of lockdown on April 12. But, for all of those reasons, the decision has been made that the Final will go ahead as planned at Hampden on May 22.”
Almost 8,000 Manchester City and Spurs fans were let in to Wembley at the weekend for the Carabao Cup final - with a crowd of 21,000 expected for the FA Cup Final on May 15, seven days before the end of season finale north of the border.
