SRU offers Murrayfield for semi but Hibs nurse concerns over security

WHILE the date and kick-off time were confirmed, the debate over where next month's all-Edinburgh Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final will be staged continued yesterday despite the Scottish Rugby Union stepping forward with an offer to host the tie at Murrayfield.

Hearts had earlier requested that the Scottish Football Association consider Murrayfield rather than Hampden Park as a venue.

The SFA has pledged to take "all factors" into account after discussions with the two clubs, and will reach a decision "within the next few days".

Hibs yesterday held an internal meeting which included input from manager Tony Mowbray. The Easter Road club are concerned by security issues regarding Murrayfield, with the stadium untested as a venue for a match requiring strict segregation. An additional worry involves the neutrality of the venue, with Hearts having played there on three occasions last season. The condition of a park used primarily for rugby was also an issue raised by the Easter Road side.

"There are a lot of football questions to be asked, such as the playing surface which is used for rugby, the security involved and the question of whether the stadium would be filled," said Mowbray.

"There are a lot of issues to be decided before the tie but I would anticipate it would be at Hampden."

A Hibs fans' website yesterday displayed the difficulties involved in reaching a decision, with even the Easter Road side's supporters torn. It showed 53 per cent favouring the Murrayfield option, and 45 per cent preferring Hampden.

As expected, Sky Sports confirmed yesterday it will screen the match live on Sunday, 2 April, at 12.15pm. The other semi, between Gretna and the winners of the Dundee v Hamilton Accies tie, will be staged 24 hours earlier, and is likely to be shown live on BBC Scotland.

The early kick-off time for the Hibs-Hearts match complicates the already considerable logistical problem of transferring 40,000 rival football fans from one city to another on a Sunday.

The police are taking a keen interest in the matter but would not be drawn yesterday on where they would like the match to be played.

"Wherever the game is played will present policing challenges," said a spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police. Strathclyde Police said "any game held in Strathclyde will be policed accordingly".

Hearts preferred to focus on what they called the "positive reasons" informing the club's bid to bring the tie to west Edinburgh. By this they mean the increased exposure a game in the city is likely to attract, with Murrayfield able to accommodate 67,800 fans compared to Hampden's 52,000 capacity.

The SRU confirmed yesterday it had approached the SFA about staging the match. "We'd be willing to host the game," said Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive. "If the SFA, Hibs and Hearts want to offer their fans an Edinburgh venue, I think Murrayfield fits the bill perfectly. It's bigger than Hampden and cuts out any travelling issues. We have excellent relations with both clubs and they'd be welcome here."

Murrayfield had been primed to host all Hearts' home matches this season but a change in the Tynecastle club's ownership led to this unpopular scheme being scrapped. Hearts did, however, play their home UEFA Cup ties there last season, winning once. More than 71,000 fans watched the three matches against Braga, Stuttgart and Ferencvaros.

"We prefer to look at the possibility of using Murrayfield as a positive move for the game of football in Scotland while also acknowledging the logistical issues that such a tie throws up," a Hearts spokesperson said yesterday.

"There is little doubt that Hearts and Hibs would fill the 68,000-seater stadium and what an advert that would be for the game in this country particularly given the UK-wide TV coverage of the match."

The issue might be concentrating the minds of many in the capital but Mowbray remains unmoved by the fuss surrounding the semi-final draw.

"I didn't watch the draw because I was bathing my son at the time," revealed the Hibs manager. "Every night at six o'clock I bath him, feed him and then put him to sleep. Nothing disturbs that routine. I put my phone off because I don't want to be disturbed around that time."

Taken from the Scotsman