FURY AS PILOT IS VETOED
STANDS STILL EMPTY
FROM BACK PAGE that the game’s top brass were left infuriated by the decision to veto a proposal to let 700 supporters through the doors of Parkhead for Motherwell’s visit on Sunday, despite giving rugby fans the go ahead to return to BT Murrayfield on Friday night.
That anger was compounded when the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing Joe FitzPatrick ducked out of a conference call with the SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster and Celtic supremo Peter Lawwell to explain why permission had been denied.
Concern is growing that football fans are being treated like second-class citizens.
One source said: “The concern is there appears to be one rule for rugby and another for the national sport.
“There is a great deal of anger about what has gone on in the past 24 hours.
“Joe FitzPatrick’s team organised a discussion about Celtic’s test event for Wednesday morning.
“Effectively, the parties were then told, ‘Sorry the meeting is cancelled – and by the way, you’re not having your test event either’.
“The genuine worry now is that we will be told we can’t open up football grounds around the country until we’ve had our own test events but those test events can’t now take place until just days before the September 14 date.”
Ross County also revealed a request to stage a trial match but their next home fixture is against Celtic on September 12, just two days before all Premiership clubs hoped to welcome supporters.
Around 700 spectators will be allowed back into the home of rugby for Friday’s Pro14 derby between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh.
A St Andrew’s House spokesman said: “We recognise the disappointment that the proposal for a pilot on August 30 has not been approved but we are looking for suitable alternative dates for football pilots.’’ Last night football’s Joint Response Group wrote to FitzPatrick asking for urgent clarification on
the matter.
‘It’s sad to see the passing of big Pat McCluskey and Tam ‘Jaws’ Forsyth. I remember a Glasgow Cup Final when their tackles on one another would have got them lifted nowadays’