St Johnstone chairman 'thrilled' to get red-list exemption for European tie
The Saints are likely to face Galatasaray in their upcoming qualifier which raised concerns the game would have to be played at a neutral venue
Last updated 26th Jul 2021
St Johnstone's chairman says he's "thrilled" the club's been given special dispensation from the Scottish Government to travel to a red-list country for their Europa League qualifier.
The Saints are likely to face Turkish outfit Galatasaray next month, which raised concerns the tie would have to be played at a neutral venue.
But ministers have given the green light for the Perth side to travel, meaning the return leg will be played at McDiarmid Park.
It's not yet clear how many fans will be allowed into the stadium for the game, but last week the club told Tay News it hoped around 8,000 could gain entry.
Chairman Steve Brown said: "Behind the scenes, everyone had been working hard to find a solution to have the fixture at our own stadium rather than at a neutral venue.
"Our Head of Football Operations, Scott Boyd, led his team and had discussions with the relevant authorities to try and have the game played in Perth in front of our supporters.
"When the news was confirmed on Saturday afternoon, we were all delighted. To have it announced on the McDiarmid Park PA system and share the moment with our supporters during the game against Fleetwood Town made it even sweeter.
"I'd like to place on record our thanks from everyone at St Johnstone to the Scottish Government and the SFA's joint response group for their collaboration to find a solution during these ongoing challenging times.
"We are thrilled that we've been given special dispensation through the elite sport exemption.
"We now look forward to European football returning to our stadium next month and it will be quite an occasion for Callum and the players in front of as many fans as permitted to attend McDiarmid Park."