Aberdeen confident of allowing over 5,000 supporters into first European tie

Aberdeen are hopeful of welcoming back over 5,000 supporters for their first European game of the 2021/22 season.

Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen. Picture: SNS

Stephen Glass’ side welcome Swedish outfit BK Hacken for the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifying tie on July 22.

The match takes place three days after Scotland is scheduled to move into Level 0 as restrictions aimed at fighting the spread of Covid-19 will continue to be lifted around the country.

The club have been in discussions with Aberdeen City Council officials as they seek to pacify any fears that a total of 5,665 can attend the game and maintain one-metre social-distancing required for outdoor events.

In a statement released on Wednesday evening, Aberdeen talked of being “heartened by the collaborative approach” with local officials and believe the authorities are satisfied.

Dave Cormack, chairman of Aberdeen, added: “Thanks to the tireless work of our stadium manager and his operations team, we have successfully navigated a forensic process by the local authority.

“This positive feedback of our highly regulated environment combined with government and scientific advice that controlled outdoor events are more acceptable than indoor gatherings gives us confidence that we will get the go‐ahead from the local authority.

“The unintended consequences of us being unable to welcome meaningful crowds could see an influx of hundreds, if not thousands, of people meeting up indoors at less regulated events to watch the game.

“Being able to host meaningful numbers of fans at Pittodrie for the BK Hacken game will be welcomed not only by supporters but by the first team squad and the manager who are desperate to get back to playing in front of home crowds.

“We’re grateful to Aberdeen City Council officers for working collaboratively with us on our application and look forward to hopefully getting the greenlight by the end of this week.

“Under the government’s newly announced guidance for events at 1m social distancing from 19th of July, we will be unable to accommodate all our 7,700 season ticket holders so, once we get confirmation from the Council, we’ll let supporters know the process as soon as possible.”

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