Scotland Fans Travel to Zalaegerszeg for Belarus World Cup Qualifier
World Cup Qualifying: Belarus vs. Scotland
Venue: ZTE Arena, Zalaegerszeg Date: Monday, 8 September Time: 19:45 GMT
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Scotland and the BBC iPlayer; listen live on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Scotland; follow live updates, goal clips, and join the conversation on the BBC Sport website and app.
A small group of Scotland fans has traveled to the Hungarian town of Zalaegerszeg for Monday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus, despite the match being played behind closed doors.
The dedicated supporters managed to access the ZTE Arena and took photos in the sunshine hours before kick-off.
Belarus is prohibited from hosting home matches due to its government's support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. UEFA has mandated that all Belarusian clubs and national teams must play their matches at neutral venues without fans.
Steven McNab, Cammy McNab, John Grigor, Jane Grigor, Jim Todd, and James Todd shared their experiences with BBC Scotland after traveling from Copenhagen by plane and train, following Friday's 0-0 draw with Denmark. Zalaegerszeg is located near the borders of Austria and Slovenia, over 828 miles from the Danish capital.
"There were cheap flights to Budapest," one of the group members explained. "Scotland trips are fantastic, but usually the worst part is the 90 minutes of the match. So, when we heard this game was on and we couldn’t get in, we just had to come!"
When asked if UEFA might allow them into the stadium after such a long journey, they responded, "We’ve been told in no uncertain terms that we’re not getting in tonight."
Jane added, "We’ve been informed they are trying to organize a place for Scotland fans to watch the game on TV, so we’ll probably go there."
Another supporter remarked, "We have a great time wherever we go. I firmly believe we should be allowed in. It’s ridiculous. I don’t understand why Belarus is even allowed to compete."