Dons chairman claims Government u-turn on football fan ban

Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack's taking a fresh swipe at the Scottish Government, with no end in sight to the Covid ban on fans at Pittodrie.

In a statement, he says : “It’s now very clear that Scottish football and its fans are being treated unfairly with the rejection correspondence, once again, avoiding answering the key question as to why indoor events in Level 2, with less regulation, are being favoured over the stringent, safe and highly regulated protocols we have in place at our stadium.

“We have compared the criteria in place for a range of other venues, all of which are indoors and open in Level 2, against the stringent controls at our stadium. This stark comparison reveals that fans would be far safer in an outdoor stadium, yet we are still waiting, months later, for the Scottish Government to provide any clinical evidence to support their decision.

“Any independent observer would seriously struggle to understand why the Scottish Government continues to reject our carefully-researched and detailed application. Despite the devastating financial impact of the lock-out and, encouraged by Jason Leitch, Scottish football clubs have invested considerable resources in robust operational planning to gradually readmit fans safely. At Aberdeen Football Club we’ve spent around £30,000 on putting these in place. There has been a U-turn and neither Jason Leitch nor the Scottish Government will tell us why.

“Jason Leitch himself told the SPFL and Premiership Clubs that outdoor activities were safer than indoor activities yet our successful, safe test events with 300 fans now seem pointless if there is no progression plan in place, even in Level 1. We have repeatedly asked for clarification and meetings with him and Ministers, yet our requests continue to be ignored. Surely, clubs and our fans are due an explanation as to why they’ve done a U-turn.

“Over 90% of our fans surveyed want to return to Pittodrie and 80% of these fans would travel to games with limited numbers by car. We are committed to standing up for our fans and continue to push for their return to football to give them a bit of relief, joy and hope, many of whom live for football and who are consequently suffering from isolation, loneliness, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. Yes, it costs to put on these games with limited crowds, but it’s well worth it for our fans.

“We’ve got our fans’ backs on this and we’re not going to be fobbed off easily.”

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster's also been having his say, claiming the Government's dismissing "social, clinical and economic evidence'" by not gradually letting fans back into football matches.

He says teams across the country are bemused and thinks seeing crowds at games down south is "rubbing salt in the wounds".