'Shambles' - Scotland fans slam SFA as hundreds miss Cyprus kick-off due to Hampden queues

Fans were still queuing up outside Hampden just seconds before kick-off

The Scots kicked off against Cyprus in their Euro 2020 qualifier at 7.45pm on Saturday night but many fans were still queuing to get into the stadium, with large queues in particular outside the North Stand.

Fans attending Scotland Women's friendly match against Jamaica last month had similar issues, while fans attending the Scottish Cup semi-final between Hearts and Inverness Caledonian Thistle and the Scottish Cup final between Hearts and Celtic reported similar queues.

More than 18,500 fans turned up for the Scots' final match ahead of the Women's World Cup, but a large number missed most of the opening period as a result of the queues.

A spokesperson for the SFA later admitted that "an even greater than anticipated walk-up crowd" had caught stadium staff unawares. Scottish football's governing body added: "We had 43 turnstiles in operation in anticipation of a record crowd, the vast majority of whom received their match tickets in advance.

“We apologise for any inconvenience."

One fan tweeted the SFA saying: "You really need to sort out the access to Hampden. Missed the first ten minutes of the game even though [we] were in the queue for 20 minutes."

Another supporter added: "Had the same experience at the Scottish Cup final, [stadium] is not fit for purpose" while a third wrote: "Shambles, were they not expecting anyone to turn up?"

One Scotland follower suggested: "Games against smaller nations should be played at Pittodrie or Tynecastle or Easter Road. Play big games at Celtic Park and Ibrox. Fans on top of the pitch, better atmosphere, more intimidating for opposition."