A disabled Scots teenager has blasted Hampden Park's "poor and unaccessible" hospitality package after his dad was given a dining room chair to sit behind him for a football match.
Laurie Findlayson had been gifted tickets for his 18th birthday to the Celtic v Kilmarnock Scottish League Cup semi-final on January 14. As reported by Glasgow Live, Laurie's mum was assured the hospitality area was "fully accessible" with space for his wheelchair and his dad would have an executive seat.
Instead, the student - who has cerebral palsy - was left with a restricted view of the pitch in an area segregated from the other fans, with the dining room chair left for his dad to sit behind him.
Laurie said: "My dad was there with me and he was forced to stand to watch the game when my mum had been assured that he would have an executive seat.
"There was no where for him to sit next to me - he had to ask for a chair and was given a standard dining room chair that was just placed behind me. We were segregated from the other fans despite the fact that we had bought the same package.
"I don't believe that the area we were in was even a wheelchair area. My view of the pitch was also restricted due to the height of the barrier.
"We're Kilmarnock fans so my mum bought us the tickets as a present for my 18th. The whole experience was just really poor."
The family received no response from the stadium until he decided to share his experience on social media, despite Laurie's mum emailing and calling them to complain.
Laurie added: "Hospitality isn't cheap and it's not acceptable to sell packages which are not accessible whilst claiming that they are."
Hampden Park describes their hospitality experience as having "exceptional views and the finest Scottish hospitality" on their website. The Scottish FA said they were "sorry to hear that the experience failed to meet expectations".
A spokesperson added: "Fan experience at Hampden Park is of the utmost priority for the Scottish FA and we are sorry to hear that the experience of this supporter failed to meet expectations. Our venue partner Sodexo Live, who manage hospitality packages at Hampden Park, have reached out to the supporter to attempt to resolve the issue.
“We are working hard to improve accessibility for supporters at the national stadium, with the installation of an additional six new raised platforms in the North Stand this year providing 40 new wheelchair spaces and companion seats.”
Sodexo Live said they have offered the customers a full refund.
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