Cup decision in Scotland is ‘madness’

Ishall take a wee wander back to my homeland of Scotland this week, not because I feel homesick or nostalgic, but rather because the suits that run the game north of the border in the UK have outdone themselves to the point of insanity this week.

The beaks that run the game really don’t help themselves when if comes to making Scottish football a laughing stock.

They once refused the champions of the second tier — Falkirk — promotion because their stadium was too wee (don’t ask). They also introduced the ‘split’, where the Premier League becomes two mini leagues for the final five games of the season (don’t ask).

But now they have topped the lot and given the green light to a plan that is ludicrous, unfair and downright dangerous. The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and chief executive Neil Doncaster have announced that both Scottish League Cup semi-finals will be played at Hampden on the same day, October 28.

Aberdeen meet Rangers at noon on the Sunday, before Hearts face Celtic at 7.45pm in Glasgow.

Yes, that is best buddies Celtic and Rangers, both bringing up to 40,000 fans to a stadium on the same day. Along with Aberdeen and Hearts, who, lets be fair, are the two next biggest teams in Scotland and despise both the Glasgow rivals.

Essentially this means 100,000 fans from four rival teams in the same city on the same day.

Organisers say it is “the best solution” because both Old Firm clubs have Europa League games on 25 October.

That is the biggest load of nonsense I have heard. I don’t often agree with Hearts manager Craig Levein but I’m with the big man when he says this decision is the “craziest thing”, “beyond belief” and “madness”.

Levein also offered to postpone the league game against Celtic the following week to avoid the scenario.

Aside from the obvious dangers involved in having tens of thousands of lubricated Scotsmen in one place — the hospitals will be busy that is a guarantee — the good name of Scottish football fans is at risk. Years if not decades have been spent getting away from the reputation of hooliganism in the game, and this is a powder keg that could easily be avoided. And then there are the fans themselves. Who in their right mind will want to take their kids to a game on a day like this with so much potential for trouble and danger?

MATTHEW SMITH