SD Scotland Response to Betfred Cup Semi-Final Scheduling

Date: 2nd October 2018

Following the SPFL’s decision to schedule both Betfred Cup semi-final matches at Hampden on the same day, the board of Supporters Direct Scotland have been discussing the need for the football authorities to put supporters’ needs much higher in their list of priorities than seems to have been the case in this decision.

We are concerned about the impact that the scheduling of these matches will have on the safety and wellbeing of supporters of all four clubs travelling to and from the matches from around the country, of the impact this will have on their matchday experience, and we sympathise with the Scottish Police Federation’s concerns about the difficulties in policing two matches of this nature so close together.

Fans are the lifeblood of the game, and in this instance the frustrations of the four sets of fans appear to be shared by the clubs they support. We appreciate the difficulties of arranging matches in a congested fixture schedule, and understand that there might be no perfect solution in this case, but would encourage the SPFL to engage closely with the four clubs and their supporters’ groups to find an acceptable resolution to this issue.

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