A Dundee fans’ group has branded new Covid restrictions set to decimate the crowd at the New Year derby with Dundee United “a real kick in the teeth”.
The Dundee Supporters’ Association (DSA) hit out after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced new measures designed to limit the spread of the Omicron variant.
Courier Sport understands the January 2 match between Dundee and city rivals United at Dens Park was close to being a complete sell-out, with almost 12,000 in attendance.
Scottish Government restrictions imposed from Boxing Day mean no more than 500 supporters will be allowed to watch the game in person, with the remainder left chasing refunds.
In response, DSA secretary Victoria Edwards has called on the SPFL to postpone the next three rounds of fixtures and bring forward the Premiership’s traditional January break, hopefully allowing fans to attend as normal when action resumes in late January.
She said: “For the DSA, our main hope is the league can bring forward the winter break and extend it to cover these three games.
“We don’t want to see these games going ahead with only 500 fans – and it will be catastrophic for the club to lose out on what will be the biggest earner of the season.
“As it stands, it’s the only derby at Dens Park this season, it’s not on TV and it’s almost a sell-out.
‘Put fans first’
“I don’t even know where they would begin with trying to choose which 500 fans could go.
“There are also rumours that the league are in talks with the TV companies, so we hope that the SPFL put fans first and not the TV companies over these games.
“It’s gutting for fans to miss these games, especially at this time of year.
“It is a real kick in the teeth.”
