Why will Scotland be playing Belarus in an empty Hungarian stadium?

Scotland's World Cup qualifier against Belarus connected 8 September volition instrumentality spot astatine a neutral venue, but the Tartan Army volition not beryllium determination to spot it.

Uefa has confirmed the lucifer volition instrumentality spot successful the ZTE Arena successful the Hungarian metropolis of Zalaegerszeg.

So wherefore are Belarus banned from staging location matches successful their ain country?

As a effect of the enactment shown by Belarus to the Russian penetration of Ukraine, determination were calls for a prohibition connected their teams competing successful Uefa competitions, arsenic has been the lawsuit for each elder Russian teams since March 2022.

In March of that year, Uefa announced that each Belarusian clubs and nationalist teams participating successful their competitions would person to play their location matches astatine neutral venues and down closed doors with nary fans.

After the Uefa authorisation was imposed, it was past up to the Belarussian FA to find a suitable stadium to big their matches. They chose Zalaegerszeg, astir 227km from the Hungarian superior Budapest.

The ZTE Arena volition besides beryllium utilized to big the World Cup qualifier betwixt Belarus and Denmark successful October, though the venue for Belarus v Greece successful November is yet to beryllium confirmed.

Belarus person played 3 matches successful Zalaegerszeg since the prohibition was enforced. All 3 were successful the Nations League past twelvemonth and each 3 ended successful draws – 0-0 against Bulgaria and Northern Ireland followed by a 1-1 gully with Luxembourg.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill said playing astatine the ZTE Arena had "the consciousness of a fixture played during Covid" and due to the fact that "there was nary assemblage it possibly lacked a small spot of strength that determination would usually person been".

The shutout of fans successful Zalaegerszeg means the Tartan Army volition lone beryllium capable to travel their squad successful 2 distant matches during the World Cup qualifying run – the radical opener against Denmark successful Copenhagen connected 5 September and the penultimate lucifer against Greece connected 15 November.

"It's astir similar the Scotland fans person been punished successful immoderate way," said John Bleasdale of The Tartan Army Magazine.

"But you could reason that the Belarusian fans person been punished for thing extracurricular their power arsenic well.

"It's a existent hard concern wherever the fans person to lose, unfortunately.

"You privation to spot shot played successful beforehand of supporters. No substance however hostile the assemblage is, it adds to the ambiance and it volition beryllium astir similar a grooming crushed environment.

"From a Scotland constituent of view, evidently the Scotland fans are similar the 12th man. The Tartan Army, they springiness them a large lift. So that volition beryllium a blow.

"On the flip side, you could accidental they're not facing a hostile location crowd. The Belarusians are known for creating a hostile environment. So the information they won't person that volition astir apt beryllium an vantage to us.

"When we played Serbia a fewer years ago, we really thrived connected nary fans being there, truthful I deliberation if anything, it could beryllium a help, though it volition beryllium a shame that the Tartan Army can't beryllium there."

All of Scotland's games successful World Cup qualifying, including Belarus v Scotland, volition beryllium televised by the BBC and streamed connected iPlayer.

These matches volition besides beryllium covered connected BBC Radio Scotland & Sounds, with Gaelic commentary of Scotland's location games besides disposable connected BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal.