DOUGLAS Ross has called on SNP minister to approve plans to allow football fans into Hampden for the Euros this summer.
The Scottish Conservative leader has pointed to the success of the vaccination programme – insisting the country’s low infection rate is justification to safely re-open the doors of Hampden to the Tartan Army.
Glasgow is one of 12 host cities for the European championships, which was delayed from last summer amid the pandemic.
It has been reported that that governing body UEFA may move the four fixtures due to take place in Glasgow elsewhere if Scottish Government ministers conclude it is not safe to allow fans to attend the events.
The four fixtures due to take place at Hampden include Scotland v the Czech Republic on Monday, June 14 and Croatia v Scotland on Tuesday, June 22.
READ MORE: Sturgeon accused of putting Indyref2 before Scotland's coronavirus recovery
UEFA have set a deadline of Wednesday, April 7 for host cities to submit their plans.
Mr Ross, who is also an assistant referee, said: “I believe that the Tartan Army must be allowed into Hampden for the Euros. The time for SNP dithering is over.
“Around 2.5 million Scots have been vaccinated thanks to our amazing NHS and the UK’s world-beating vaccination programme.
“All our sacrifices have helped to suppress the virus and it would be unfortunate if the Scottish Government made a wrong call on this.
“I have always said that public health is paramount but there is the risk of being too cautious here. This is a time for optimism.”
READ MORE: Scottish Election 2021: Conservatives want not proven verdict scrapped
He added: “We have seen other countries allowing fans into sports venues in a safe and responsible manner. We can do the same, at the right capacity to ensure fans are not put at risk.
“To play to empty seats would be terrible, but to lose these fixtures entirely would be a real body blow to fans and the wider Scottish public.
“It has been 23 years since our men’s team reached a major finals and for games to be played here in Scotland is thrilling - so let’s make sure the some of the Tartan Army can play their part by roaring the team on to success.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel