SCOTTISH football fans have felt for some time that the Covid regulations set by Holyrood and followed by Hampden have been unfair and unjust.

At various moments throughout the pandemic, it has seemed as if there was one set of rules for some and a different one for others and supporters of the national game were getting the excrement covered end of the stick.

Relations between the Government and the Scottish FA and SPFL have been strained at times over the last 18 months. Whether it be finance or fans, there has been some amount of back and forth in an attempt to find common ground and consensus.

It could, of course, be worse. Scottish football hasn’t exactly had its issues to seek during the pandemic, but at least our game has an idea of where it is heading as more Covid rules come to an end on Monday.

Spare a thought, then, for the owners of Scotland’s nightclubs and those who will hope to attend venues up and down the country when, or if, they open their doors next week.

There have been many moments when it has felt like the Government couldn’t organise the proverbial drinking session in a brewery and our elected leaders were in danger of tying themselves in knots at a time when the public wanted the bamboozling Covid guidelines to be untangled and crystal clear.

When the phrase ‘vertical drinking’ enters the lexicon of public and social life, you know something has gone wrong somewhere. Maybe we all just need a higher level of intelligence to understand the various decrees - inconsistencies and disparities and all – bestowed upon us.

Whether you want to go for a meal, a dance or to watch your team, Monday should be the biggest step towards a return to normality yet. Time will tell.

As Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, announced the latest lifting of restrictions this week, there was good news for Scottish football. There was, as always it seems, a but.

The end of social distancing doesn’t automatically signal a return for capacity crowds and clubs who will have attendances of more than 5,000 – Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibernian – still need to apply for permission from their local authority to host such events.

Sturgeon said: "While we expect to see the careful return of large-scale events we will, for a limited period, keep in place the processes through which organisers of outdoor events of more than 5,000 and indoor events of more than 2,000 will have to apply for permission.

"This is allowing us and local authorities simply to be reassured of the arrangements to be in place to reduce the risk of large-scale gatherings."

It was something of a buck-passing move from Sturgeon to give the final say on crowds to Councils rather than automatically allow clubs to open their doors to supporters from next week.

There will, surely, be no issues for those five clubs when it comes to getting the required approval, though, and fans will be keeping a close eye on the decisions that are made in the coming days.

The first test of the new regulations will come on Tuesday night as Rangers host Malmo and look to clinch a place in the Champions League play-off round against Olympiacos or Ludogorets.

Ibrox was the last stadium to host a capacity crowd in Scotland when Steven Gerrard’s side lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League last March. Within hours of that fixture, the game was put in cold storage and Scotland was heading for lockdown.

The months since have been difficult for supporters. No matter the colour of your scarf, fans have been united in their frustration as they were locked out for an entire campaign.

The sight of a full Ibrox next week would be a moment to savour for everyone in Scottish football. The circle would be complete in many ways and it would be the final major hurdle crossed in returning life to what it once was.

It has been a long time coming. As other areas of the country have opened up in recent months, the return to football has been a slow process but one that fans have had to accept.

The patience and loyalty of supporters across the country has been admirable during the pandemic. Without them, some clubs just wouldn’t have survived the biggest crisis to hit our game.

The financial and emotional backing is a testament to their love of their club and their sport and the ultimate reward will be to see them back in their seats or on the terraces over the next few days.

Parkhead should be packed for the visit of Jablonec next Thursday, while bumper crowds should be present when Aberdeen host Breidablik and St Johnstone face Galatasaray next week. If Hibernian – who have been granted an attendance of 5,600 for their match with Rijeka this evening – can reach the next round of the Conference League, then Easter Road should be brimming for the visit of Bohemian or PAOK.

The pandemic has been further proof, not that any was needed, that football and politics shouldn’t mix and the sooner Hampden doesn’t have to rely on Holyrood to be able to operate the better.

Relations have improved over the course and distance as the Joint Response Group have liaised with Ministers for various areas – most notably and naturally health, culture and sport – and developed an understanding.

If there is one positive to come from all of this, it will hopefully be that the Government has a greater feeling of why Scottish football is so important and what it means to the nation emotionally and economically.

The game has survived Covid and it must thrive once again. The gates will reopen, the rules will lift and Monday must be a day for supporters to savour.