Scotland v Israel: 'SFA has confirmed any delayed entry’ nothing to do with the vaccine passport claim Scot Gov amid accusations from Scottish Conservatives

The Scottish Government has hit back at claims made by the Scottish Conservatives surrounding the vaccine passport spot checks at Hampden before the Scotland game.

A tweet from the Scottish Conservatives claimed: “Thousands of Scotland fans were locked out of Hampden at the weekend, until well after kick-off, due to vaccine passport spot checks being in place.

"If this botched SNP scheme isn't scrapped, how chaotic will it be when it fully comes into force next week?”

Several SNP MSPs contested this statement, with health secretary Humza Yousaf responding: “These claims are not true.

"The SFA has confirmed any delayed entry into Hampden at the weekend had nothing to do with the certification scheme.”

Fans entering Hampden Park on Saturday night for Scotland Men’s International team’s game against Israel underwent spot checks to ensure people had their vaccine passport.

The Scottish National Team took to Twitter before the game to encourage fans to arrive early in order to avoid queuing, with the turnstiles opening at 3 pm, two hours before the game kicked off.

They also added: “Today will be a trial run prior to the scheme being formally enforced. Nobody will be refused entry this afternoon if they don't have proof of vaccination.”

'These claims are not true': Scot Gov hits out at Scottish Conservatives over Hampden tweet

In a comment to The Courier, the Scottish Government refuted the claims made my the Scottish Conservatives, saying: “These claims are not true. The SFA has confirmed any delayed entry into Hampden at the weekend had nothing to do with the certification scheme.

“Covid certification is a proportionate way of encouraging people to get vaccinated, and also of helping large events and night-time hospitality to keep operating during what will potentially be a very difficult winter.

“We have allowed a grace period for the first two weeks of the scheme in relation to enforcement, while businesses and users become accustomed to the new rules.

"During this period we expect businesses to implement and test their approach to certification – and to prepare their compliance plans – so that they are fully prepared by 18 October, and so we welcome the SFA spot-checking vaccine certificates as part of testing the scheme."

The SFA said in a statement: “Stadium gates were opened two hours before kick-off, and we increased stewarding provisions and volunteers to mitigate spot checking procedures for the highest attendance in recent years – 50,585”

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