Rangers are ‘dismayed’ after Old Firm rivals Celtic reneged on a ticket allocation agreement for derby clashes this season.
Rangers and Celtic had agreed to the return of away supporters next season after away fans were locked out of the four Scottish Premiership Old Firm clashes last season.
But that agreement is now set to be ripped up by Celtic, a decision which has sent Rangers scrambling ahead of the first derby clash of the season at Parkhead on 1st September.
It’s a situation which comes during an awful week at Rangers, with the Gers’ unceremonious Champions League exit at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv set to see the club miss out on over £25m in additional revenue.
No away allocations at Old Firm derby
Rangers, Celtic and the SPFL had agreed to a 5% ticket allocation ahead of the new season earlier in March this year.
This was after a spate of complications surrounding the fixture, which stemmed back to Rangers cutting Celtic’s 7000 allocation in the Broomloan Stand back in 2018.
Hibs had kicked off the trend of Scottish Premiership clubs cutting the allocations of rival teams and this has continued with the likes of Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Hearts following suit.
Rangers cut Celtic’s allocations from 7000 to around 800 and since then the Parkhead side have cited safety concerns as their reason for pulling the briefs.
But last season’s agreement was set to reach a compromise for both clubs with around 2500 away fans to visit Ibrox and 3000 to be allowed into Parkhead.
Now, two weeks out from the first Old Firm derby of the season, Rangers have confirmed that Celtic have reneged on the agreement.
As a result, Rangers have confirmed there will be no away fans at the first two Old Firm derbies of the season at Celtic Park or Ibrox.
A Rangers statement reads:
“Rangers was today informed that Celtic will make no allocation for away fans for the September Old Firm game.
“The allocation to be implemented by both clubs was clear and Rangers was taking all steps towards fulfilling that agreement.
“In the meantime, we can confirm that no away allocation will apply for the January Old Firm fixture at Ibrox.
“This is consistent with the reciprocity embedded in the agreement reached between the clubs and the SPFL.”
Celtic renege on Rangers agreement
There has been no official statement from Celtic on the decision but the Daily Record claim that ‘safety concerns’ at Ibrox are once again top of the agenda.
The report claims that Celtic have moved to install safety measures in their ground, including receiving Glasgow City Council planning permission to erect nets in the away end, but no such provisions are in place at Ibrox.
The Record claims there has been ‘no move’ by Rangers to install the adequate provisions and as a result Celtic have pulled the plug on the agreement.
Rangers’ situation is complicated by the fact Ibrox Stadium is currently closed because of delayed renovation works to the Copland Stand.
The Gers board are under huge scrutiny after the decision to renovate the stand was interrupted this summer due to delays in the necessary shipments of steel from Asia.
Rangers are currently being housed in Hampden, much to the dismay of supporters, with a preliminary return date set for the 28th September when the club plays Hibs at home.
Rangers have admitted that this is subject to change.
The Daily Record also acknowledge that Celtic are keen on a return to the old-style allocation and being given the full the Broomloan Stand at Ibrox.
This is something which Rangers have repeatedly made patently clear will not happen.
Despite that, leading Rangers insiders Heart & Hand have suggested that this is all a power play by Celtic in pursuit of these ultimately fruitless aims.
The Rangers fan media outlet has suggested that there will be no away fans for the ‘foreseeable’ future at a result.
Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane has also reacted to the news and claims Ibrox sources are ‘dismayed’ by the decision.
Especially because the agreed works at Ibrox are set to be completed ‘well before the January Old Firm’ at Rangers’ home stadium.
The decision from Celtic comes at a time of swelling frustration at Rangers on and off the park.
The Hampden fiasco has been multiplied against a failure to qualify for the Champions League and to reap the financial benefits of that.
Rangers are also going through a sizeable ‘rebuild’ on the pitch but so far Ibrox fans remain unconvinced by the scale of investment into the team.
There are genuine fears that Rangers have actually gone backwards this summer and with no fans at Celtic Park on September 1st, the first Old Firm match fast becomes a daunting prospect for Philippe Clement’s underperforming team.
Aesthetically, the Old Firm fixture has suffered badly in recent years from a lack of away supporters and that looks set to extend into the 23/24 season.
