The Scottish Government has refused Celtic permission to allow a limited number of fans to attend their match against Motherwell on Sunday.
The Premiership champions had asked to use the match as a test event for fans returning to games, and planned to allow around 1,000 home fans to attend.
But the request is understood to have been turned down during a meeting between the SPFL and Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes during these past months to create the protocols and testing regimes to allow top-level professional sport in Scotland to resume, without putting the public or others at unnecessary risk.
“We recognise there is disappointment that the proposal for a pilot on 30 August has not been approved but we are looking for suitable alternative dates for football pilots.
“We need to allow sufficient time for any test events to be informed by learning from other events – in particular the rugby match at Murrayfield on 28 August.”
Around 700 fans will be allowed at the match between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh on Friday.
SRU chief operating officer Dominic McKay said last week: “We hope that our experience and learnings from a live spectator event can help all of Scottish sport, and the wider events industry restart.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously given September 14 as a date for a potential return for fans across the country, with social distancing and hygiene measures in place.
But that would depend on the number of coronavirus cases remaining low and successful test events like Friday’s match at Murrayfield.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe