Queen’s downplay Hampden sale delay and insist deal will be finalised soon

Queen’s Park are expecting talks over the sale of their Hampden home to the Scottish Football Association to get back on track.

Reports last week revealed the £5 million deal to sell the 116-year-old stadium was at risk because of a row between the game’s governing body and Glasgow City Council.

The League 2 club, who are due to leave Hampden in 2020 after the existing lease agreement with the SFA expires, believe the deal, which was due to be signed off in December, will be completed and that reports of the talks being “completely deadlocked” have been overblown. The delay centred around Glasgow City Council’s role in the new setup, with the council, who hold a floating charge on the ground after investing £2.6m in it during the 1990s, believed to be unwilling to give up their seat on the board of Hampden Park Limited, who run the stadium on a day-to-day basis.

As far as Queen’s are concerned the purchase, which has been part-funded by busi- nessmen Sir Tom Hunter and Lord Willie Haughey, will be concluded and they are hopeful that it will be soon so that they can have their new home at Lesser Hampden ready well in advance for season 2020-21.

A source at the club said: “It is a complicated transaction and there are quite a lot of bodies and their legal representatives involved.

“There has been a delay, but the reports of a deadlock and stumbling blocks are overblown.

“As far as we are concerned, matters will get sorted quickly. We still have a window to have the work done to Lesser Hampden that will make it suitable to be a senior ground before we are due to start playing there, and indeed before the Euro 2020 games are held.”