The Scottish Government has dealt a major blow to Rangers by confirming there will be no test event at Ibrox in the coming weeks [Daily Mail].
Following an announcement by the joint response group last month [Scottishfa.co.uk], it looked as though there was a chance some Gers fans would be able to take in the league clash against Dundee United in Govan on 12 September.
Yet, while there are still plans for at least one Premiership match to be used as a test event that weekend, the Government has confirmed that Ibrox will not host it.
That’s because a spike in positive cases has lead to a tightening of restrictions in Glasgow by First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, with residents in the city now banned from visiting other households for at least two weeks.
‘We are engaged with representatives from a range of sporting bodies for a small number of pilot events to examine the feasibility of having spectators in stadia and planning has been underway for a number of months to allow this to happen,” said a Scottish Government representative, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“Discussions are still underway and further updates will be provided to stakeholders in due course but we are clear no proposed test events will take place within the three council areas for the duration of the restrictions.”
Scottish Government deals Rangers blow with Ibrox test event block – Verdict
This will come as disappointing news for many Rangers supporters eager to see progress in terms of fans returning to matches.
No Bear has taken in a fixture at Ibrox for more than five months, with the last ticketed event the Europa League Last 16 first-leg clash against Bayer Leverkusen in March.
However, it is an understandable move given the recent spike in cases.
At this point, it’s a waiting game for Gers supporters who will hope that after two weeks, restrictions will be eased again and the chances of a limited number of fans returning to the ground, will improve.
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