This week’s front cover of The Economist caused Scotland’s nationalist volcano to erupt. The ‘Skintland’ reimaging of the map of Scotland saw Edinburgh christened ‘Edinborrow’. The implications were financial and economic but many people in the capital want to borrow something entirely different-the Scottish cup final.

This year’s final, to be played on Saturday 19 May, will see Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian meet in the first all Edinburgh final since 1896. Hibs defeated Aberdeen 2-1 in the first semi final while Hearts triumphed over Celtic by a similar score line in the second. The match is already being savoured by supporters of other teams as a delectable non-Old Firm finale to the season. Suddenly, Scottish football has found itself re-energised after Celtic predictably won the league title with the finish line still five games away.

Scottish cup finals traditionally take place at Hampden, the home of Third Division club Queen’s Park and the national team.  But with neither of Glasgow’s big two making an appearance, there has already been considerable clamour to have the game played at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh, the home of Scottish rugby.

Logic, plus financial and logistical imperatives, would suggest this case has merit. Why force a combined 50,000 fans of the two Edinburgh-based clubs to travel to Glasgow when the match could be hosted by the Scottish Rugby Union at Murrayfield? As things stand, families are going to incur additional travel fees and the congestion on the M8 motorway and Scottish rail network is likely to be considerable. Staging the final at Murrayfield would also allow more spectators to see a game being touted as the most important Edinburgh derby in a century. For such a showpiece occasion, it would be anticipated that the clubs could muster more than 52,000 combined supporters, but filling Murrayfield to its 67,000 capacity may still be a stretch. Similar arguments were made back in 2006 when the clubs met in the semi-final of the same competition. The Scottish Football Association, however, is resolute in its opposition to staging the final anywhere but at Hampden.

The debate has become a political issue with all the speed that its populist potential suggested it would. The Scotsman quoted Edinburgh’s Deputy Council leader as saying: “The SFA is nothing if not predictable with this decision, but I do think it is short sighted of them.” It has subsequently been reported that a majority of Edinburgh City councillors are in favour of such a move, with Labour tabling a motion for the next full council meeting that calls for the city executive to work with Hearts, Hibs and the SFA to achieve that outcome.

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