Fans allowed at rugby but not Celtic v Motherwell

Proposals to allow Celtic’s home match against Motherwell on Sunday to go ahead with fans in the stadium have been rejected by the Scottish government. Celtic boss Neil Lennon confirmed last week that the club were “collaborating” with the government on plans for the game to be used as a pilot for a return to live spectator sport. Parkhead chiefs were hoping to welcome as many as 1,400 supporters through the turnstiles for the Premiership fixture. But the Scottish government said it needed “sufficient time for any test events to be informed by learning from other events”. Around 700 rugby fans will be allowed into Murrayfield on Friday when Edinburgh host Glasgow Warriors in Guinness Pro14 action, while Brighton’s pre-season friendly against fellow Premier League outfit Chelsea on Saturday is among several sporting events which will welcome a limited number of spectators over the coming weeks in England. The game will take place at Brighton’s Amex Stadium, with 2,500 tickets being made available for fans, the club said. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already set out an “indicative date” of 14 September for the reopening of Scotland’s stadiums. A Scottish government spokesman said: “A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes during these past months to create the protocols and testing regimes to allow top-level professional sport in Scotland to resume, without putting the public or others at unnecessary risk. “We recognise there is disappointment that the proposal for a pilot on 30 August has not been approved but we are looking for suitable alternative dates for football pilots. “We need to allow sufficient time for any test events to be informed by learning from other events – in particular the rugby match at Murrayfield on 28 August.” Responding to the news, Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson said: “We’re just desperate to have fans back. If the government have got a reason for doing it, I’m sure it’s a genuine reason. “They have supported everything to do with football so far and if there is a reason for not doing it then they must have a genuine belief that this is not right yet. But the sooner we can do it, the better.” Celtic may have been dashed in their hope of inviting fans back into Celtic Park this weekend but Ross County say they are stepping up plans to open up their terraces. In a statement, the Dingwall side said: “Ross County can confirm that following the advice and guidance from the Scottish government and Football Authorities, we have now started to undertake the review and planning for the return of fans to the Global Energy Stadium. “The Scottish government had already provided an outlined date in mid-September for test events with crowds in Scotland. We can confirm that we, Ross County, have put ourselves forward as a test venue. “There is no doubt that given our club’s ability to react to the pandemic in the beginning and diligent and extensive work carried out by our operational team, that we feel we have a group of staff with the capability to deliver a return for fans to our stadium in a safe and secure environment.” Meanwhile, the Joint Response Group has announced there have been no positive results for coronavirus following the latest round of testing. A total of 1,345 players from across the Premiership as well as Hearts and Glasgow City were tested between 17 and 23 August, with all results returning negative for Covid-19. A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Joy Yates Editorial Director