Scottish Cup final to be played behind closed doors.

The 2021 Scottish Cup final will be played behind closed doors after further lockdown easing was postponed in Glasgow for at least a week.

Plans for a crowd of 600 for the May 22 clash between Hibernian and St Johnstone were announced on Thursday but have now been called off little over 24 hours later.

The Scottish Government announced on Friday afternoon that Glasgow would remain under Level 3 restrictions along with Moray when most of Scotland moves to Level 2 on Monday, after the city experienced a fresh surge of Covid-19 cases. The situation will be assessed after a week.

A Scottish Football Association statement read on Twitter: “Following today’s Scottish Government announcement that Glasgow will remain under level three Covid restrictions for at least another week, the Scottish Government have subsequently confirmed that fans will now not be permitted to attend the Scottish Cup final.”

St Johnstone said in a statement: “The Football Club has received clarification from the SFA that the Scottish Cup Final must now be played behind closed doors.

“The decision to allow 600 supporters into the stadium no longer stands.

“This is down to the Scottish Government’s decision that Glasgow should remain in Level 3 for a period of time as a precaution against higher levels of Covid-19 infections.

St Johnstone say ‘we thank all of our supporters for their patience and understanding’

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Aberdeen had previously offered to host the final to allow supporters to attend but with the game little over a week away, it appears there is no chance of it being moved.

Hibernian manager Jack Ross will go head-to-head with St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson on May 22 – but they will have to make do without spectators