Caley Thistle assistant manager Russell Latapy fears his club’s supporters are being given no encouragement by the SFA to back the team at Hampden in this month’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic.
The match at the National Stadium will kick-off at 12.15pm on Sunday, April 19, a decision which Latapy believes is unfair on his club.
Celtic are also unhappy with the ticket prices for the game and Latapy believes the SFA should be doing more to encourage spectators to attend matches.
He said: “We played Hearts at Easter Road in the League Cup semi-final last year at lunchtime which meant supporters had to get up at 6am to go support their team and that cannot help.
“We should be doing all we can to get supporters going to the game and at a time which makes the game attractive.
“As a coach I concentrate on the football but do feel hard done by when some of these decisions are made. I believe if something is not right then there should be a way of trying to fix it.
“Our supporters are not getting a proper chance to come and support their team and it’s simple for me – if there are no supporters there is no match.”
The cup semi-final is just one of several important matches for the Highlanders this month as they bid to secure a top three finish and a place in Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
Caley Jags are seven points clear of fourth-placed Dundee United in the Premiership with nine games remaining and Latapy hopes the international break will have given the club the chance to rest and return refreshed for the run-in.
He said: “It was good to get a break and for the players to go away and freshen up so they kick on to the end. Whether the break has been good or not is a question I can answer at the end of Saturday’s game.
“We don’t have the biggest squad and we cannot chop and change personnel too much which is why a break helps.”
Latapy, whose side hosts Dundee tomorrow, added: “With the way the weather and the pitches have been it has been tough for us to get the ball down and pass it. We like to do that but that is not always possible when the pitches are bobbly and wet.
“Has it been a factor in our performances? Yes, but has it affected results? I don’t know the answer to that.”