Scotland’s World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Monday will be staged on neutral ground in Hungary – but the Tartan Army will be absent from the stands.
The match is set for the ZTE Arena in the Hungarian city of Zalaegerszeg.
UEFA sanctions
Belarus’ political alignment with Russia during the invasion of Ukraine has prompted calls for footballing sanctions. While Russia’s senior national and club teams were fully excluded from UEFA competitions in March 2022, Belarus faced partial restrictions.
UEFA ruled that Belarusian national and club sides could continue to participate but must stage all “home” fixtures at neutral venues and without spectators. This sanction, still in place, is designed to limit Belarus’ ability to host international events while allowing competition to continue.
Following UEFA’s decision, it was left to the Football Federation of Belarus to identify suitable venues abroad. Zalaegerszeg, located roughly 227km from Budapest, was chosen as the primary base.
The ZTE Arena will also stage Belarus’ October World Cup qualifier against Denmark. However, the venue for their November meeting with Greece remains unconfirmed.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, whose team played Belarus in Zalaegerszeg, compared the atmosphere to pandemic-era fixtures, noting the absence of supporters “lacked the usual intensity.”
The closed-door policy means Scotland fans will only be able to attend two away fixtures during the qualifying campaign: the opener against Denmark in Copenhagen on 5 September and the penultimate match against Greece on 15 November.
“It almost feels as though Scotland fans are being punished,” said John Bleasdale of The Tartan Army Magazine. “But you could also argue Belarusian fans are suffering for circumstances beyond their control. It’s an unfortunate scenario where supporters on both sides lose out.”
