Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick has been left alarmed by scenes south of the border at Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur – as he fears similar for Scottish football.
Currently in Scotland, 300 fans can attend a match in tier one areas, Ross County, Inverness and Elgin City benefitting from this in particular. But scenes at Crystal Palace v Tottenham have provided cause for concern.
4000 supporters can attend outdoor sporting events south of the border, depending on Covid-19 prevalence in the area. The senior Scottish Government figure has read over social distancing statistics in stadiums and admits to being alarmed over what he’s read.
Fans in attendance at these games are required to adhere to strict social distancing measures. But during Sunday’s draw between Crystal Palace and Tottenham at Selhurst Park, supporters could be seen celebrating close to the players.
The Scottish government has had a barrage of calls to relax the restrictions in place across the SPFL but FitzPatrick has hinted that he isn’t so keen on the suggestions.
“I can’t explain what’s going on in England,” said the Sports Minister (BBC). “I certainly saw some TV footage of English matches and I would’ve been hugely concerned if that was in Scotland.
“It’s one of the challenges, particularly if a game gets exciting, it’s really difficult for people to control their social distancing. The crowd was almost moving as one.
“And while they all started off spread out very carefully, the masks had come off, people were shouting with all the aerosol risks that that’s got. Not everyone in England is comfortable with the 4000 supporters that are able to attend some matches.”