Glasgow road closures affect the itinerary for the SPFL schedule
Rangers have expressed frustration after one of their fixtures was moved to an 8pm kick-off on a Sunday.
The William Hill Premiership match against St Johnstone due to be played on Sunday, October 6, has been pushed back to the later time due to the Great Scottish Run taking place in Glasgow on the same day.
Due to road closures along the south side of the city, Ibrox will not be able to accommodate 45,000 fans for a customary afternoon kickoff in a safe and effective manner.
In an attempt to keep an earlier kickoff, Rangers had offered to move the match to McDiarmid Park; however, their requests were denied.
“Rangers put forward a number of alternative options, including an earlier kick-off and a reversal of the fixture, but all were rebuffed by the other stakeholders involved,” a club statement said.
“As our game against Lyon is on Thursday night, it is not possible for us to play on Saturday. Additionally, due to the international window, we are unable to play on Monday night.
“The club shares your frustration with this situation and is fully aware of the inconvenience this will cause to many of our supporters.
“We will continue to engage with stakeholders including public transport providers and Glasgow City Council, and update supporters on access plans and routes closer to the match taking place.”
The SPFL has changed the dates and times of many fixtures, including this one, which will air live on Premier Sports.
Following the release of the UEFA group stage tournament fixture lists, a total of 13 matches have been rescheduled for Sundays. Additionally, broadcast choices have been made for the weekends of September 28/29 and October 5/6.
On Sunday, September 29, Rangers vs. Hibs and Ross County vs. Celtic are scheduled to air on Sky Sports. The start of the matches is set for noon.
On Saturday, September 28, at 5:45 p.m., Premier Sports will broadcast live coverage of St Johnstone vs. Celtic and the previously announced St Johnstone vs. Rangers match.
“I would like to place on record my thanks to the two clubs and all other stakeholders for their assistance throughout this process to enable the Rangers vs. St Johnstone match to take place on its scheduled weekend,” said Calum Beattie, Chief Operating Officer of the SPFL.
There are difficulties with the packed schedule, which are made worse by the extra UEFA matchdays this season. Although we recognise that this is an odd time for an SPFL match, we had very few options.
The news that Premier Sports will broadcast the Sunday night game is exciting since it guarantees that fans who are unable to attend on that day will be able to follow the action live on Premier Sports. Rangers and St Johnstone will provide supporters with travel information before to the game.
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