'I find it baffling!' Hibs boss Jack Ross reacts to Government decision to cap Scottish Cup final crowd to 600 fans
Last updated 14th May 2021
Hibs boss Jack Ross says he's "baffled" by the Scottish Government's decision to only allow 600 fans to attend next weekend's Scottish Cup final against St Johnstone.
With a 12,000 capacity agreed for Hampden's Euro ties this summer and 21,000 people allowed inside Wembley for tomorrow's FA Cup final, he says supporters deserve an explanation.
The Easter Road boss said: "There's been a lot of things over the last year and a half that at times I've understood, and at times I've struggled to get my head around; I can't quite understand (this) decision.
"I'm sure that, as is always the case, that people come out in the aftermath of anybody complaining and point out why they're right and we're wrong. But I do find it baffling.
"I think that when you complain or take issue with the decision about it being only football, I think you should never underestimate the significance this game plays in a lot of people's lives in Scotland - in a social sense, in terms of sense of belonging etc.
"So I do find it a little bit peculiar that we're only allowed this number of fans into the ground. But the decision's been made and we just have to (get on with it).
"From a football point of view, we've been used to having no fans in the stadium so it's not going to change too much in terms of our preparation or mindset."
According to a statement published by the SFA earlier this week, the Scottish Government says two-metre physical distancing must be maintained at the national stadium - as opposed to the one-and-a-half metres already agreed for next month's Euros.
Jack Ross said: "I think it would be nice to have a clear explanation. It is quite a difficult thing to comprehend.
"From Monday it's a metre distancing in an indoor hospitality venue, yet two metre distancing outside. I'm a layman when it comes to science but I don't quite get that.
"It's a shame that not that far away (Wembley), there's an awful lot more people going to be at a cup final; in the not too distant future there's going to be an awful lot more people than 600 inside the same stadium (Hampden); so I just find it difficult to comprehend.
"I just feel as if it's perhaps a missed opportunity to have more people participating in something that means an awful lot to them."