The Tartan Army could be turned away from Scotland’s vital World Cup qualifier against Israel if they don’t have vaccine passports.
Scottish football bosses have asked fans to sign up to the controversial scheme before Saturday’s sell-out match at Hampden.
Vaccine passports do not become mandatory until October 18 after the Scottish Government announced a two-week grace period.
But the Scottish FA say stewards will carry out spot checks to ensure supporters have been doubled-jagged against coronavirus before getting through the turnstiles this weekend.
It comes weeks after fans were delayed getting into the stadium for the start of Scotland’s qualifier against Moldova because of confusion over e-tickets using QR codes.
Many fans were still outside the ground when Lyndon Dykes scored in the 14th minute to give Steve Clarke’s team a crucial 1-0 win.
Scottish Football Supporters Association chair Andy Smith said last night: “No fan wants vaccine passports. But if it’s a binary choice between a passport and seeing a game then 80 per cent of fans are in favour.
“We are happy the SFA are undertaking a trial but there should be no hassle to the fans. They shouldn’t be penalised because of a failed app.”
Hamish Husband, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, added: “This is going to be a big test for the technology after a number of teething problems. We are talking about 50,000 football fans.
“Technology and Hampden don’t always go well together. Fans should show up early and be prepared for any delays.”
The SFA said “a proportionate amount” of fans will be spot checked in line with Scottish Government rules. A spokesman said: “To comply with Scottish Government regulations, fans over 18 and not exempt must be double-vaccinated in order to attend the match.
“They need to bring their Vaccination Certificate as spot checks will be carried out prior to entering the stadium.”
The Scottish Government said: “We welcome the SFA’s confirmation that they will spot check vaccine certificates next weekend as part of testing the scheme.
“In total, 167,600 people have now downloaded the app since launch. We are aware of some teething issues which are primarily down to the volume of requests and urgent work is underway to resolve this, which we expect to be cleared within the next couple of days.
“But the app isn’t the only means of providing proof.
“People can also present evidence of their vaccine status via the downloadable PDF or a paper copy accessible from NHS Inform – well over 750,000 have already been issued.
“Thousands of people have been able to set up their app successfully. However, no-one should be turned away from a late-night venue, or large-scale event if they don’t have their proof of vaccination, given enforcement doesn’t begin for over two weeks.”
On Friday, Rangers and Aberdeen cancelled plans to spot check fans at their games today, against Hibs and Celtic respectively.
Hearts also said yesterday’s match with Motherwell would only be used to test their procedures but said they wouldn’t turn away any fans.
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