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Hampden’s cup final allocations should be based on who actually filled their semi seats.

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In the coming weeks, the powers that be at Hampden will decide on the cup final ticket allocations. They’ll likely ignore the glaring number of empty seats at the National Stadium today. But those empty seats tell a story and set a precedent that cannot be ignored. This is about more than mere ticket numbers; it’s a wake-up call for Scottish football.

The Ibrox fans are in turmoil—unhappy with their club, their manager, the board, their captain, their main striker, and pretty much everything else. Many of them chose today to “vote with their feet,” staying away from the semi-final in droves.

What these fans don’t seem to grasp is that Scottish football doesn’t revolve around their moods and whims, nor should it. The allocation of cup final tickets ought to be based on demand and loyalty, not on empty traditions.

Today, they left vast swathes of seats unfilled, a visible statement of disinterest.

But as usual, Scottish football will pander to their whims.

The SFA will probably push for a 50/50 split in the name of “fairness.” But where’s the fairness in allocating half the stadium to a support that didn’t even show up for the semi-final? True fairness would mean rewarding the club that did sell out its seats—Celtic—and could have sold many more if given the chance. Yet we’ll hear the familiar refrains about creating a spectacle, as if that empty stadium today was any kind of showpiece.

At some point, Scottish football has to stop catering to their tantrums. If they can’t fill their half of the national stadium for a semi-final—in a competition where they’re the holders—why should they receive a 50% split for the final? Those tickets should go to the fans who actually want to be there. Let Celtic fans fill those seats and bring the real atmosphere.

Predictably, there’ll be arguments about policing, stewarding, and logistics. But that’s just smoke and mirrors. Today’s empty stands were a national embarrassment.

The so-called “second biggest club” in the country couldn’t muster the enthusiasm of its own fans; how is that the rest of the game’s fault?. Fans across Scotland watched that on TV, saw the empty rows, and probably heard the excuses too. Yes, the Ibrox fans are frustrated, fed up with the football on offer—but so what? You think other fans, those whose clubs haven’t won stuff in years, enjoy the football some of them watch every week?

The game was scheduled on a weekend, at a decent hour, with ample opportunity for attendance. Their absence speaks volumes. They are spoiled brats.

In Scottish Cup games at Hampden, clubs usually receive a 50/50 split, which is often generous. For League Cup ties, however, we’ve seen finalists receive smaller shares based on realistic expectations. Today, how many empty seats were there? 10,000? Why should anyone believe that their club will be in better form in a month, ready to fill those seats?

Sure, on the forums some of their more desperate fans have taken a hit of Hopeium and are telling themselves that this is the game which will turn everything around. We’ve heard this optimism before, and we’ve seen where it leads.

The reality is likely more of the same: calls for the manager’s head, resentment towards Tavernier, frustration with the board. It would be ludicrous to hand them half of Hampden under these circumstances. How can we be sure they’ll even sell those tickets? Why should we risk half-empty stands when Celtic fans would eagerly take those seats?

Instead of applying logic, Scottish football will likely cater to them again. That’s how we ended up here in the first place. Too much indulgence of petty tantrums has created this environment where they think they’re owed something, regardless of merit.

At some point, the game has to evolve past this indulgence and face reality. Those empty seats today show where we’re headed—a future where their average attendance drops by thousands, and they can’t fill Hampden even on the rare occasions they get there.

We could start preparing for that future starting now. With this final. Tell them they’re getting 17,000 seats and Celtic fans are getting the shortfall. We turned up for our game. We bloody well earned it.

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