Celtic captain Scott Brown supports First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s call on when fans should return

Celtic captain Scott Brown has backed Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to postpone the return of football supporters to Premiership grounds until next month.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 26: Scott Brown in action for Celtic during the Champions League Second Round qualifying match between Celtic and Ferencvaros at Celtic Park on August 26, 2020, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

As expected, the First Minister announced on Thursday that plans to allow restricted numbers of fans into stadiums from 14 September have been shelved following a rise in positive Covid-19 tests in Scotland.

Saturday’s test events, with 300 home supporters allowed to attend the Aberdeen-Kilmarnock and Ross County-Celtic fixtures, will still go ahead.

But Sturgeon declared a new indicative date of 5 October for a wider roll-out of fans attending sporting events. It means the earliest return of supporters at all Premiership games is now 17 October, the weekend of the first Old Firm clash of the season at Celtic Park.

“We obviously want the fans back in as soon as we can but we’ve got to do what’s best for the country,” said Celtic skipper Brown.

“If she (Sturgeon) says it’s another month before we can get the fans back at Celtic Park, then so be it. Everyone is in the same boat, to be perfectly honest. We all have to just deal with it in the best way we possibly can.

“We’ve got to make sure everyone in the country is safe. We don’t want big gatherings now if she believes it’s not safe.”

Brown is looking forward to being part of tomorrow’s test event in Dingwall but joked that the rules preventing the socially-distanced fans from shouting mean he will miss out on his accustomed abuse in away matches.

“I’m a bit devastated by that,” laughed the veteran midfielder. “It’s going to be weird for the fans as well as they have to wear masks and won’t be able to shout. So they’re just sitting on their hands.

“It will be interesting to see how it works. I’m not sure if the fans will be in one stand or dotted around the stadium.

“It’s going to be something different but we are just going to have to deal with it. It’s not going to change the way we play or the way we’re going to set up.”

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