STILL 50-50 ON HAMPDEN
FROM BACK PAGE Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.
And sources close to the negotiations last night insisted the decision is still very much 50-50 with the board completely split.
The major stumbling block is the SFA’s desire to buy Hampden from Queen’s Park with the amateurs demanding £6million to hand over the keys.
SFA vice-president Rod Petrie is leading their negotiations and is unwilling to pay more than £2m.
Queen’s Park will be left with an insurmountable debt of £14m if the SFA opt for Murrayfield.
The club will face demands of £10m from the National Lottery who funded the 1999 revamp plus they will owe £4m to Hampden debenture holders.
Both Scottish Rugby and Hampden Park Limited will now provide further information on their bids after the board toured both stadiums on Tuesday.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell confirmed talks will continue before rubber-stamping either proposal.
He said: “This decision will have a significant bearing on the game in Scotland. We have asked both parties for additional information to be submitted within seven days to allow a final decision to be made.”
Maxwell has been charged with making the final call alongside fellow board members Alan McRae, Petrie, Mike Mulraney, Neil Doncaster, Thomas McKeown and Ana Stewart on whether to abandon a venue that has been the national team’s home since 1906.
Hampden’s owners Queen’s Park have agreed in principle to sell the ground to the SFA.
And the League Two side now sit in limbo as they await the verdict over whether a deal will be struck or whether Scotland make a switch to the home of rugby.