Away days on hold – but the return of fans is edging nearer

Scottish football fans face starting next season without any away days.

Club games can have crowds of 2,000 people seated at the end of June.

However, National Clinical Director, Professor Jason Leitch (below), believes there may not be the normal mix.

It could be that clubs decide to admit only home supporters.

Leitch said: “I can imagine the start of the season being like that. That would allow everyone to get used to how it works. People can get accustomed to the one-way systems, and make sure the car parks are safe.

“If I was in charge of a club, I would think: ‘This is a big change with everyone coming back. We want to make sure we do this correctly. So for the first six weeks, let’s just admit home fans. We know their names and addresses’.

“Then maybe away fans from supporters clubs, so you know who they are. It won’t be open ticketing.

“For the whole season, it depends on what happens over the winter. It is a bit of an unknown to us in terms of the virus. We will probably need more vaccinations.

“But I can imagine a season where we start with home fans, move to away fans we know, and then – later in the season – get more open access for everybody.

“The big unknown is physical distancing. If you start to reduce it, you’ve got to have the virus almost eliminated to make it safe.”

Leitch confirmed that fans will be present when the domestic Scottish football season starts on July 10.

He added: “By the end of June, you can have 2,000 people outdoors, and 400 indoors. You can then apply to your local authority, or the Scottish Government, if you want a bigger event.

“But if the numbers keep coming down and we don’t go crazy, I think there will be fans present for the opening of the season.”