Fans win new tickets deal

Guttering came loose in the high winds

A landmark agreement has been reached in the dispute over tickets for the postponed Scottish Cup tie between Celtic and Inverness Caledonian Thistle in January.

The game was called off at the last minute because the gutter on a stand at Parkhead came loose in strong winds.

We were happy to take the initiative to resolve this long-standing issue for Scottish fans

SFA chief executive David Taylor

The match was rescheduled for 10 days later but some of the 5,000 fans who had travelled south for the first game were unable to return.

They complained when Celtic refused to refund their tickets and their case was taken up by Highland Council trading standards officers.

After talks involving between the council, the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League, the football authorities have agreed to remove the "no refund" clause from tickets for the 2000/2001 season.

Caley fans eventually had something to smile about

Despite the decision, the amendment will not be backdated, meaning the Caley fans will remain out of pocket.

The three soccer governing bodies will work closely with Highland Council on framing a new form of wording on tickets for games which are postponed or abandoned.

This will advise fans that they may be entitled to full or partial refunds, depending on the circumstances.

If a match is postponed, a person who cannot, or does not want to attend the re-arranged game will be entitled to a refund of the face value of the ticket, provided they submit a claim within 14 days.

'Added confidence'

For abandoned matches, a "reasonable proportion" of the value will be paid.

Councillor Bill Fulton, chairman of council's protective services committee, said: "The new policy properly recognises the paying football fan as a consumer with rights."

David Taylor: "Customer relations"

SFA chief executive David Taylor said: "Customer relations are an important part of Scottish football today and we were happy to take the initiative to resolve this long-standing issue for Scottish fans."

He said that most fans would hold on to their tickets for the rearranged game, but that the new agreement would give them added confidence if they could not attend on the new date.

Despite the Caley fans not getting their money back, they can still take satisfaction from the historic 3-1 scoreline their team recorded against Celtic when the two sides did meet.