No stampede from Tartan Army to subsidise £1m Argentina visit

THE Scottish Football Association has received a cool response from fans after being handed an opportunity to bring Argentina to Hampden in November.

The SFA has conducted initial discussions with agents acting for the Argentine FA and a game has been proposed for Wednesday 19 November. However, with Argentina charging a reported £1 million for the privilege of hosting them the SFA have taken the unusual move of canvassing supporters in order to assess the appetite for such a fixture, particularly when the extravagant cost will be met mostly by the fans.

With the coverage of Scotland matches already tied up in existing contracts the most significant method at the SFA's disposal by which to cover their costs is admission price.

The top-price seats for competitive Scotland matches currently sell for £35, while the highest cost of a ticket for the visit of Northern Ireland to Hampden in next month's friendly will be £20. For the visit of Argentina, however, prices will need to be between the £40-50 mark for a clash which is scheduled a month after an away double-header against Iceland and Macedonia as Scotland bid to qualify for the World Cup in 2010.

Gordon Smith, the SFA president, argued that games against leading football nations are required to aid Scotland's chances of qualifying for major championships but he accepts there are economic obstacles involved. There was an outcry about ticket prices for the recent friendly with Croatia, a game watched by a crowd of 28,821.

In an era before top-ranking footballing countries began charging vast 'appearance-fee' sums, Argentina were happy to include a 17-year-old called Diego Maradona in their side for a friendly at Hampden Park in 1979. Maradona scored his first goal for his country in a 3-1 win. Scotland got their revenge in March 1990 when the then world champions fell to a Stewart McKimmie goal, in front of 51,537 fans.

"If we want to keep on improving, we have to continually test ourselves against top class opposition," said Smith yesterday. "And, if we want to do more than qualify for a World Cup Finals, but also make our mark at them, we have to play against different styles of teams from around the world, not just from Europe. We want to play teams of the quality of Argentina and Brazil, but the match fees and expenses involved in bringing any top class team to Hampden can be substantial."

Tartan Army fans welcomed the SFA's desire to interact with supporters but many have balked at the increase in ticket price and some fear the prospect of Argentina's star players calling-off prior to the match. Although Smith will seek assurances from Argentina that players such as Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez will feature, there is no way of guaranteeing their inclusion as club managers seek to protect their players at a critical stage of the season.

"Trying to attract the best teams to Hampden is great, but whether a high-priced match v Argentina on a Wednesday in November in Glasgow is the right time to do it I am not so sure," said Tam Ferry, deputy spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs. "Fans would probably still pay the price being asked, but under protest. We will not be long back from the worst double-header in history, which is Macedonia and then Iceland. It is five weeks before Christmas and it's right in the middle of the Champions League. What players are actually going to be available from both Scotland and Argentina? The last thing you want to do is pay £45 for a match when half the players are missing."

Simon Johnston, another Tartan Army office bearer, shared Ferry's view. "It would be great to test ourselves against Argentina, especially ahead of the Holland game in Rotterdam in March, but the prices seem very high for a friendly."

Smith is aware of the concerns, although football is not alone. The Scottish Rugby Union was forced to charge a top price of £175 for last year's match against New Zealand at Murrayfield. The cheapest ticket available was £38.

"We will always strive to keep ticket prices down, but if we want to play the very best, then there will be an impact on ticket prices," said Smith. "If we were to play Argentina later this year, then in order to cover all the costs involved, the ticket prices would be higher than for a normal friendly match – indeed, there is every likelihood that the prices would be more than for our competitive matches.

"Today we are starting a debate. We want the fans and the media to talk about this issue frankly and openly. The question is a simple one. Are we prepared to pay more so that Scotland can play against the world's best?"

The answer to this question is not clear-cut, with concerns having been raised about the gradual increase in ticket prices at football matches.

"Prices have crept up," said Ferry. "We played the world champions (Italy] and the runners up (France] in the last campaign and tickets were £27 and £25. My fear would be they sign a contract with the Argentine FA and the SFA loses money because they can't sell all the tickets. From a purely football point of view it would be brilliant, but whether the fans would pay the money I am not so sure. I am getting mixed messages. Some are saying, 'yes I would pay under duress' or 'no I would not pay it'. It's their call. We will ask the fans and then give the SFA a frank answer, as we always do."

The SFA is expected to reach a decision within the next two weeks, with Argentina in demand by other countries prepared to pay a £1million fee. Their currently 'free' night of 19 November won't stay that way for long.

"It's been a measured response so far," said an SFA spokesman. "One of the strongest arguments coming through on the negative side is that people balk at the idea of paying more for a friendly than they would do a competitive match. Whereas on the other side there is a desire for us to test ourselves against the strongest countries.

"The cost is one of those things now in modern football – countries like Argentina have sold the rights on to a third party and that's who you have to deal with."

FACT BOX

• ENGLAND v CROATIA

Wembley, 21 November 2007
Euro 2008 qualifer
£30-£60

• SCOTLAND v ITALY

Hampden, 17 November 2007
Euro 2008 qualifier
£24-£35

• SPAIN v GERMANY

Ernst Happel stadium, 29 June 2008
Euro 2008 final
£127-£278

• THE OPEN

Day ticket for Royal Birkdale, 21 July
£55

• SCOTLAND v ENGLAND

One-day cricket international
The Grange, 18 August
£48

• SCOTLAND v WALES

Six Nations rugby international, 8 Feb 2009
£30-£60

• WIMBLEDON MEN'S FINAL

Centre Court ticket, 6 July
£91

• BRITISH GRAND PRIX

Silverstone, 6 July
£99