WRONG DECISION

Brown brands Hampden ‘one of the worst’ grounds he has played in

CELTIC captain Scott Brown last night savaged the SFA’s decision to continue with Hampden as the home of Scottish football beyond 2020.

The SFA finally confirmed yesterday afternoon they are to buy the historic Mount Florida ground from amateur side Queen’s Park for £5million, with Lord Willie Haughey and Sir Tom Hunter contributing £2.5m towards the purchase.

That means Scotland games and domestic cup finals will remain in Glasgow rather than potentially moving to Murrayfield in Edinburgh.

But former Scotland skipper Brown (right), who retired from playing for his country last year, was scathing of the decision to remain at the much-criticised old ground.

The 33-year-old, who is in talks over signing a new deal at Celtic, said: ‘Do I think staying at Hampden is the right move? No! Hampden is possibly one of the worst stadiums I have played in for atmosphere.

‘For Scotland, I think we should be playing at Celtic Park, Ibrox, then the smaller games — when you only get 17,000 crowds — should be at Hibs and Hearts.

‘The bigger games could be at Murrayfield as well. We have some great stadiums here but we choose to use the wrong stadium for a football match.’

The SFA have pledged to make alterations to Hampden to ‘develop a national stadium that we can all be proud of’.

But Brown flatly rejected that, insisting the SFA would be better razing Hampden to the ground and rebuilding if they want an intimidating arena for the national team.

He said: ‘It’s not going to happen. They need to start that stadium all over again. ‘When they built it, it was built for a running track. You’re not going to get the fans and noise that scare the opposing players when they turn up. It’s easy for them to turn up... big, open pitch, hardly any fans... it’s hard for the players. ‘You play at Celtic Park, Ibrox, Tynecastle... you have the atmosphere there and that’s what makes the opponents scared to go there and play.’ The SRU released a statement expressing their disappointment at the decision but vowed to continue developing their ‘excellent relationship’ with the SFA. Scottish Rugby’s chief operating officer, Dominic McKay, said: ‘Scottish Rugby would like to thank the Scottish FA for the opportunity to bid to host future Scotland internationals and cup final matches at BT Murrayfield.

‘We submitted a compelling and thorough bid package, which we believe would have been excellent for the Scottish FA.

‘Our presentation clearly demonstrated the significant benefits of Scotland’s largest stadium and how we have worked to develop a quality experience for all visiting fans.

‘We are naturally disappointed this once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop a partnership for a true national stadium for Scotland at BT Murrayfield, which would have enabled the country’s two largest sports to work side by side for the wider benefit of Scottish sport and society, has not been taken.

‘Throughout this bid process, Scottish Rugby has developed an excellent relationship with its friends at the Scottish FA and hope this will continue.

‘We congratulate the Scottish FA and Hampden Park for coming to an agreement and wish them luck as they develop their plans.’

SFA president Alan McRae praised the Murrayfield bid and insisted the association were left with a difficult decision.

‘Today’s announcement has been the conclusion of a four-year process to review our national stadium beyond 2020,’ said McRae.

‘It was a hugely difficult decision and I would like to thank Scottish Rugby for their professionalism. They made a truly compelling case to move to Edinburgh and gave us a very difficult decision to make.

‘This decision is about what was best for Scottish football and our members. It is about the future of football in Scotland.

‘I would like to recognise the enormous generosity of Lord Haughey.

‘Finally, it has also been a hugely challenging time for Queen’s Park, Hampden Park Limited and all of the people who will be directly affected by this decision.

‘We appreciate all their efforts to reach an agreement today and look forward to working with them to shape the future and continue to develop a national stadium that we can all be proud of.’