Scottish Cup final ticket blow for Hibs and St Johnstone as only 600 fans to attend Hampden for showpiece match

There will be fewer fans than hoped for at the Scottish Cup final next weekend after the Scottish Government insisted on two-metre social distancing at the Hampden showpiece.
Only 600 fans will attend the Scottish Cup final between Hibs and St Johnstone on May 22. (Photo by Ross Brownlee / SNS Group)Only 600 fans will attend the Scottish Cup final between Hibs and St Johnstone on May 22. (Photo by Ross Brownlee / SNS Group)
Only 600 fans will attend the Scottish Cup final between Hibs and St Johnstone on May 22. (Photo by Ross Brownlee / SNS Group)

Hibs and St Johnstone had hoped to receive up to 1000 tickets each for the match after UEFA gave permission for the national stadium, which is currently undergoing preparations ahead of Euro 2020, to be opened up to spectators for the May 22 showdown.

A move to level 2 restrictions on Monday will mean that up to 500 supporters can attend football matches in Scotland, but the Scottish Football Association applied to Holyrood for special dispensation to allow a 2000-strong crowd into the cup final, using the same seating model that will be applied for next month’s Euros, which will see 12,000 supporters attend matches at Hampden using 1.5m distancing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, according to the SFA, the Government has insisted on 2m distancing for the Scottish Cup final, and with only the South Stand available due to ongoing work on the East/West and North Stands, that means only 600 fans in total will be able to attend – 300 from each club.

A statement from the SFA confirmed: “Following dispensation from UEFA to allow a restricted number of supporters to attend the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park on Saturday May 22, the Scottish FA approached the Scottish Government for 2000 fans to be accommodated using the approved UEFA EURO 2020 stadium seating template.

“The Scottish Government has today confirmed that a two metre physical distancing configuration must be used, not the 1.5m configuration that will be in operation for UEFA EURO 2020. At two metre physical distancing, the number of spectators able to be hosted in the approved areas of the stadium reduces to 600 in total – 300 per club.

“We have notified both finalists, Hibernian and St Johnstone, and while the number is less than anticipated we look forward to a limited number of fans attending the cup final.”

Hibs are currently considering how best to distribute the limited available briefs and will update fans on Friday.

A club statement read: “Hibernian FC today confirmed that approval granted by the Scottish Government means up to 300 Hibernian fans will be able to attend the Scottish Cup Final on May 22nd.

“The Club is considering the fairest and best way to distribute the tickets and will let supporters know tomorrow.

“Thank you for your patience.”

St Johnstone also updated fans in a statement which read: “The Football Club can confirm we've received official notification that up to 300 St Johnstone supporters will be able to attend the Scottish Cup Final.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We are now considering the fairest way to distribute the tickets and we will let our supporters know as soon as possible.

“Once again, we thank our supporters for their patience and understanding.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.