Taxpayers face £150,000 bill if Glasgow fan park axed amid Covid fears
Taxpayers would face a bill of at least £150,000 if a Euro 2020 fan park that SNP ministers agreed to set up as a condition of staging matches in Glasgow is axed on public health grounds.
On Wednesday, opposition MSPs raised fears that Uefa, as well as attempting to avoid criticism for wasting public cash, was dictating government policy after it was confirmed that the 6,000-per-day capacity park would open on Friday despite strong criticism.
Critics have questioned why a mass venue which will serve alcohol and host shows such as DJ sets and drag acts can go ahead with Glasgow still in the grip of a major Covid outbreak and strict curbs in place in other settings.
The Telegraph has established that agreeing to a fan park was a condition of Glasgow becoming a Euro 2020 host city.
Glasgow Life, the public body organising the event, has already spent £150,000 on giant tv screens and "digital content" for Glasgow Green. It was planned that food and drink sales, and a small number of paid-for events, would help offset the cost, although all income would be lost if the fan park was to be axed.
On Wednesday night, Glasgow Life was unable to say what the full costs of staging the event, including staffing, stewarding and stock, would be.
The Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "We need assurances from the health secretary and Glasgow council bosses that shortcuts have not been taken for the sake of fulfilling commercial contracts."
Humza Yousaf, the health secretary, this week confirmed that the park would go ahead without mandatory testing, although he said he reserved the right to pull permission should "significant concerns arise" during the tournament.
Parents across Scotland have been banned from attending ceremonies for children "graduating" from nurseries and school sports days, while live music or comedy performances in pubs are banned.
Jackie Baillie, Labour's deputy leader, claimed the SNP's handling of the situation had been "catastrophic" and potentially risked public health.
"It's not for a football organisation to dictate public health measures and it is certainly not acceptable for the Scottish government to have acted so slowly and so heedlessly of the situation by not putting mandatory testing in place to ensure people's safety," she said.
"People genuinely don't understand why children can't go to soft play but 6,000 fans can assemble to watch a football match."
It emerged on Wednesday that Hampden Park, which will stage four matches, will have the softest Covid safety checks of any stadium in Europe, with most others, including Wembley, requiring fans to produce negative tests or proof of full vaccination to gain entry. The 48,000 fans attending four games at Hampden require only a ticket and a face mask.
The Scottish Government was approached for comment.
