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VIDEO: Celtic stadium manager on the political issues blocking ‘safe standing’

Celtic’s stadium general manager Robin Buchanan believes football fans are safer in rail seating areas than at most all-seater stadia.

In a TheStadiumBusiness Insights video interview, Buchanan suggested that fans who stand throughout a game with a barrier in front and behind them are less likely to be hurt than those who jump to their feet in seated areas, as is often seen at football grounds.

Celtic were able to introduce a 2,600-capacity ‘safe standing’ area at the beginning of the 2016-17 season because Scottish clubs are not restricted by rules introduced following the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989.

Clubs in English football’s top two tiers are not allowed to offer standing areas at their stadiums, although a report in the Daily Mail this week suggested half of the Premier League clubs would be interested in installing safe standing.

Buchanan, who was part of the Celtic team that picked up the ‘Best Fan Experience’ gong at the recent TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2017, said he believes the current restrictions in England are related more to politics rather than safety.

“It’s become a political issue,” he said. “Everyone agrees that [rail seating] is safer – it can’t be unsafe with a rail in front and behind. It’s a safety feature.

“We can understand some of the reasoning behind what’s happening in England, but for us it’s purely a safety issue, it’s not to make extra money or anything else.

IMAGE: Safe standing is widely used in Europe, primarily in Germany (Jon Darch)

“If this system had been around at the time of the Taylor Report I’m sure he would have recommended it as a solution.

“In England fans stand in seated areas which I believe is dangerous. Rail seating is one solution to protect fans.”

The issue of standing at football matches has again become a major talking point recently with six men, including two senior police officers, this week charged over offences related to the Hillsborough Disaster. Shrewsbury Town have also this month applied for approval from the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) to introduce a safe standing area for 400 fans at their Greenhouse Meadow home ground.

Buchanan added: “Safety is very important, and we need to balance that with fans having fun.”