GLASGOW will be able to attract lucrative high-profile matches like the Champions League and Europa League finals back to the city in the near future if the Scottish Football Association (SFA) decide to remain at Hampden following the Euro 2020 finals.

And moving Scotland football internationals as well as Scottish Cup semi-finals and finals through to Murrayfield in Edinburgh would jeopardise those fixtures, as well other major sporting events and concerts by global music superstars that generate tens of millions of pounds, ever returning to this country.

Those were the predictions from Peter Dallas, the managing director of Hampden Park Ltd, yesterday as a decision about the future of the world-famous stadium edged ever nearer.

The SFA board are unhappy about their current rental costs – they feel the money would be better invested in other areas of the game – and have offered to buy the venue from current owners Queen’s Park for around £2 million.

They are set to announce whether they will remain at a ground that has been the spiritual home of Scottish football for over a century after their current lease expires in two years’ time at the end of August.

Dallas, who will present what he hopes will be a compelling case to stay at Hampden to the SFA before they make their announcement, believes football, the general public and the economy will all benefit if they remain and has also emphasised there will be drastic consequences if they move on.

“Hampden hosting four Euro 2020 games is going to be colossal for Glasgow,” he said. “I believe it will have the same impact on the city as the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It is estimated that the four matches will bring a minimum of £60 million into the region. That isn’t anything to do with the actual games, too, that is hotels, buses, shops, taxis, museums, it is across everything. The city will get a spin-off.

“The 2007 UEFA Cup final was a fantastic occasion for the city and the stadium. That event brought in the region of £16 million into the city. More importantly, it was tracked that a lot of Spanish tourists came back to Scotland within a year of that event, due to the warmth of the welcome they received.

“UEFA do not give these tournaments and events to stadiums that can not deliver what they have to deliver and Hampden has got a track record of delivering. With safety and security now at the forefront of everybody’s mind, that history gives UEFA a lot of comfort. They have a lot of confidence in the SFA and how they manage their business.

“We have got another two excellent stadiums in the city in Celtic Park and Ibrox. But Hampden has got some unique elements – in terms of space around the stadium, security with the underground roadway, the media facilities. These things are all of interest to UEFA.

“These events aren’t just about the football match taking place within the stadium it is also about the infrastructure around the stadium, transfer links, communication, routes in and out of the city, the airports and the security, which is very much in focus at the moment.

“The other stadiums I mentioned are hosting European matches on a regular basis so I couldn’t say showpiece matches would be lost to Scotland. But the Scottish FA is seen as a very safe pair of hands as far as UEFA is concerned and there is a comfort that Hampden Park has delivered two major events in recent years.

“We are in a very good position to move forward to Euro 2020 and are looking forward to it. That is a massive event for the city. The Scottish FA will deliver that here at Hampden and we will help them. Hopefully that will be the catalyst for other major events to come further down the line.”

Dallas added: “There are a lot of other reasons which the Scottish FA have to take into consideration. They have to look at it in an in-depth manner which they are doing. They are looking through it diligently. Over and above football there is the social aspect and the economic impact.

“Hampden brought in just shy of half a million people in eight days at the Commonwealth Games. In terms of the flexibility and adaptability of what Hampden can offer than absolutely encapsulates that. If Hampden wasn’t here the Commonwealth Games wouldn’t have taken place in Glasgow.

“Music legends like U2, Pink, the Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Oasis and Eminem have all played at Hampden and hopefully that will continue for many, many years to come.

“This summer the Beyonce and Ed Sheeran concerts brought in a minimum of £10 million into the city of Glasgow’s economy. Again, that has nothing to do with what happens in the stadium, that is what it brings in to the local community.

“We have concerts in Glasgow at The Hydro and other venues. But if you don’t have Hampden you don’t have stadium shows in Glasgow. It is unlikely it will happen at other stadiums in Glasgow due to the close season getting shorter.

“So there is a risk that these global shows won’t come to Scotland. They might go to Edinburgh. But artists might turn the clock back 20 years and stop at Manchester and Newcastle and force Scots to go south again to see concerts. That is not where we want to be.”

The issue of whether to remain at Hampden or move to Murrayfield has polarised opinion among supporters of the national team as well as the leading club sides as many dislike its gently sloping stands and feel it offers an unsatisfactory viewing experience for spectators.

However, Dallas, the head of the organisation that runs the ground, dismissed the persistent suggestions the atmosphere in the ground is poor.

“That’s nonsense,” he said. “We had an independent sound acoustic expert in here for the Scottish Cup Old Firm semi-final last season.

“A noise of 115 decibels - the equivalent of a lion roaring a metre away from you - was recorded when the teams came out of tunnels and then when the goals were scored. A similar study was conducted in 2014 and Liverpool was up at 98 decibels and Manchester United was just behind that.

“Nobody can tell me there’s no atmosphere inside Hampden.”