It was confirmed on Tuesday that no Rangers fans would be permitted to attend Celtic Park for the Old Firm derby at the end of December.
Gers’ Glasgow rivals refused to offer tickets for the encounter, which will tantalisingly see Philippe Clement go up against Brendan Rodgers’ team for the first time.
The announcement only prolongs the dispute between the two clubs, with the Old Firm failing to welcome away supporters for the past three derbies stretching back to the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Celtic denied Rangers’ offer of away briefs for the last grudge match in September at Ibrox, citing supporter safety. But according to Rangers – after meeting with a SPFL Board Sub-Committee – the Parkhead club failed to provide any evidence to suggest why an allocation could not be given to Gers fans in the east end.
Thus, the SPFL Board Sub-Committee could not “determine what a ‘reasonable’ number of tickets for the fixture would be” and the situation remains unresolved.
Rangers said in a strong statement that the SPFL agreed that Celtic’s unwillingness to provide away briefs for their rivals is unreasonable. But the Hoops – who want a return to full allocations in the future – are not exactly reciprocating at the moment.
Derek Ferguson expresses frustration
Celtic will be backed by a full Parkhead crowd against Rangers on December 30 and that will no doubt play into their hands massively.
And when former Rangers midfielder turned pundit Derek Ferguson was told on the Open Goal podcast this week that the away tickets fiasco remained unresolved, he reacted by dropping an expletive.
Host Si Ferry confirmed there would be no Rangers fans present at the fixture, to which Ferguson responded: “Is that still happening, is that still the case? F***ing get your act together, that’s mental.”
The man who represented Rangers for seven years up until 1990 is clearly vexed by the situation, as will be many other Gers supporters.
Philippe Clement briefly expressed his disappointment to BBC Sportsound after the win against St Johnstone on Wednesday. But he struck a chord with Rangers fans when admitting he can’t do much about it, just like us supporters.
A famous victory at Parkhead could see Rangers topple Celtic at the top of the Premiership, depending on how the games against Motherwell and Ross County go.
