A decision on whether Glasgow’s Hampden Park should retain its position as the home of Scottish football has been delayed.
Scottish League Two club Queen’s Park, which owns Hampden Park (pictured), has submitted a proposal for the 51,000-seat stadium to continue as Scotland’s home stadium. Hampden Park is facing competition from Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, which Scottish Rugby feels should become the new home of Scottish football.
The Scottish Football Association met yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss the proposals but a decision was not reached. Both parties have been asked to provide extra information within the next week to allow the Scottish FA to reach a decision.
Scotland is set for a double-header of fixtures at Hampden Park with a friendly against Belgium on September 7 and a UEFA Nations League fixture against Albania on September 10. It is now likely a decision on the future home of the national team will not be made until after these two games.
Hampden Park has been the home of Scottish football since 1906 but the Scottish FA has been considering a move to another venue. The Scottish FA currently leases Hampden Park under a deal that is due to end in 2020. Should an agreement with Queen’s Park be reached, the governing body would assume full control and ownership of the stadium.
In a statement issued yesterday following the lengthy discussions, Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “This decision will have a significant bearing on the game in Scotland. We have asked both parties for additional information to be submitted within seven days to allow a final decision to be made.”
The stadium that the Scottish FA picks would also host Scottish Cup semi-finals and finals as well as national team games.
Image: Martin le Roy
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