Scotland fans travel 830 miles for game behind closed doors

A small group of Scotland fans have made their way to the Hungarian town of Zalaegerszeg for Monday’s World Cup qualifier with Belarus – even though the match is being played behind closed doors.

The hardy band of supporters even accessed the ZTE Arena and posed for photos in the sunshine hours before kick-off.

Belarus are banned from staging home matches in their own country because of their government’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Uefa ruled that all Belarusian clubs and national teams participating in its competitions would have to play games matches at neutral venues and with no fans.

Steven McNab, Cammy McNab, John Grigor, Jane Grigor, Jim Todd and James Todd spoke to BBC Scotland after making the journey from Copenhagen by plane, then train, following Friday’s 0-0 draw with Denmark.

Zalaegerszeg is near the border with Austria and Slovenia, more than 828 miles from the Danish capital.

“There were cheap flights to Budapest,” explained one of the party. “Scotland trips are fantastic, but usually the worst bit is the 90 minutes. So, when we heard this game was on and we couldn’t get in – we just had to come!”

And would Uefa turn a blind eye to a stadium return after such a long jaunt?

“We’ve been told in no uncertain terms that we’re not getting in tonight,” came the reply.

Jane added: “We’ve been told they are trying to organise somewhere for Scotland fans to go and watch on the TV, so we’ll probably go there.”

Another chipped in: “We have a great time wherever we go. I fully believe we should be in there. It’s ridiculous. I don’t understand why Belarus are even allowed in the competition.”