St Johnstone Cup Ticket Request Vetoed By SPFL
Fans groups are hitting out after SPFL bosses vetoed a request by St Johnstone for more tickets for Saturday's League Cup semi final - and instead handed them to Hibs.
Fans groups are hitting out after SPFL bosses vetoed a request by St Johnstone for more tickets for Saturday's League Cup semi final - and instead handed them to Hibs.
Saints sold out of their 3300 allocation in Tynecastle's Roseburn Stand in just four days.
When ticket prices were announced the SPFL said Saints could receive more tickets in the Main Stand at Tynecastle should there be a demand.
A statement on their website said: "It has been agreed that this allocation may increase if there is a demand for tickets. A further allocation would take St Johnstone supporters into the Main Stand Block N Upper.
"If this is not required by St Johnstone then this area will be allocated to Hibernian."
The McDiarmid Park ticket office has been bombarded with requests for more briefs - with some desperate fans claiming online to have bought tickets in the Hibs end when their tickets went on general release last week.
Saints sources said a request for an additional 500 tickets in section N of Hearts' Main Stand was made on Monday January 11, immediately upon the initial allocation selling out.
No decision was made for a full two weeks, with fans voicing their anger that they couldn't make travel plans until the SPFL made their mind out.
But tonight/last night MON Perth fans' hopes were dashed as the SPFL confirmed they would not give St Johnstone any more tickets citing "segregation issues".
That is despite Saints fans being given Main Stand briefs beside Aberdeen fans in a Tynecastle League Cup semi-final tie just two years ago.
In a statement posted on the official St Johnstone FC website, an SPFL spokesman said: "Following discussions with safety and security staff at Tynecastle Stadium and on the advice of Police Scotland, the SPFL has agreed that it will be unable to release tickets in Section N Upper of the Main Stand at Tynecastle Stadium to supporters of St Johnstone FC.
"This advice has been provided for safety and security reasons and considers the available access and egress routes to and from Section N and the need to ensure segregation of supporters.
"Rather than leave Section N Upper unused the tickets have now been released to Hibernian FC for sale to their supporters."
A spokesman for St Johnstone FC added: "St Johnstone FC fully understands and shares the disappointment this outcome will cause ticketless supporters and will provide a response in due course."
Ticketless fans and supporters groups hit out at the decision.
One supporter said: "A friend of mine has bought 24 tickets in the Hibs allocation in the Main Stand already.
"I'll be trying to do the same when these ones become available.
"They are citing segregation issues but all they've done is created one with this ridiculous decision, there will be dozens, if not hundreds of Saints fans right in amongst the Hibs fans now.
"It is even more crazy given that we had Main Stand tickets two years ago at exactly the same stage of the same competition in the same stadium."
A spokesman for St Johnstone fans forum WeArePerth said: "This is, frankly, a disgraceful decision.
"We are already a significant minority in this apparently 'neutral' venue for this major tie - and despite indications we'd get more tickets to redress that balance to some extent we've been cut out of it.
"The fact it took two weeks to make the decision, leaving Saints fans in limbo, is bad enough.
"To make it worse, there will now been an even more pressing segregation issue at Tynecastle as we have heard multiple reports of Saints fans buying tickets in the Hibs end.
"We have been allocated a number of tickets that is less than our average home gate.
"Hibs have been given around 2000 plus tickets on top of their average home gate.
"There will, in addition, be around 2000 corporate and hospitality tickets out there, meaning there will be almost as many suits at the game as Saints fans.
"We are calling on the club to make the strongest possible representations to the SPFL to make sure this kind of situation can never happen again.
"There should be no situation at all where fans wanting to attend a game in this country, particularly a cup semi final, should be locked out when there are stadia available that can handle a far greater capacity."