Dundee United chief eager for big crowd for Rangers game
Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson is hopeful that the club's fans will turn out in force for their match against Scottish Premier League champions Rangers on Sunday 28 November after the game was confirmed to go ahead.
The televised game had been in danger of being called off after category-one referees in Scotland voted to go on strike over that weekend, throwing the entire SPL and Scottish Football League fixture list into doubt.
However, the Scottish Football Association have confirmed that the Tannadice clash will go ahead after bringing in referees from abroad to officiate the games on the SPL card as well as several others.
Thompson was particularly relived to hear the news that his club's game would take place, as any home game against the Old Firm is crucial to revenue, and postponing the game to a midweek date could have seen United lose a significant sum of money.
Now that the match will definitely go ahead, the chairman has urged supporters to turn up and cheer on the side against Rangers.
He told reporters: "We have finally had confirmation from the SPL that the game is going ahead but the whole thing has been a total nightmare for all clubs. For us in particular it has been a major headache because this is one of our biggest games of the
season. To be honest, we have hardly sold any (tickets) this week. I can understand why that has been the case because people need to know what is happening. Now we know the game is on we have put the undersoil heating on and the pitch won't be a problem."
Thompson added that he was sure the referee the SFA appointed to take charge of the game would be qualified to officiate a top-flight fixture in Scotland.
He said: "It will be strange because it is not as if it is a European game where you know the ref might be different from what you are used to. But the SFA will have made sure the officials they are bringing in will be of a high standard."
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