There will be only 300 St Johnstone fans inside Hampden Park for the Scottish Cup final, the SFA have confirmed.
Hopes had been raised that the crowd at the national stadium would be much larger, certainly into four figures, but a statement released by the governing body has explained that a combination of two metre physical distancing and restricted “approved areas” for supporters has resulted in this anti-climax.
Saints have around 2,000 season ticket holders and demand from them for a seat in Hampden as the Perth side seek to secure a historic cup double is now sure to exceed supply.
The SFA statement read: “Following dispensation from UEFA to allow a restricted number of supporters to attend the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park on Saturday May 22, the Scottish FA approached the Scottish Government for 2000 fans to be accommodated using the approved UEFA EURO 2020 stadium seating template.
“The Scottish Government has today confirmed that a two metre physical distancing configuration must be used, not the 1.5m configuration that will be in operation for UEFA EURO 2020. At two metre physical distancing, the number of spectators able to be hosted in the approved areas of the stadium reduces to 600 in total – 300 per club.
“We have notified both finalists, Hibernian and St Johnstone, and while the number is less than anticipated we look forward to a limited number of fans attending the cup final.”
Saints are yet to settle on their policy for distributing their tickets.
A statement read: “The Football Club can confirm we’ve received official notification that up to 300 St Johnstone supporters will be able to attend the Scottish Cup Final.
“We are now considering the fairest way to distribute the tickets and we will let our supporters know as soon as possible.
“Once again, we thank our supporters for their patience and understanding.”
