In a column with the Metro yesterday, British Olympian Sam Quek MBE has said that reducing the Old Firm allocation is bad for football.
The field-hockey gold medallist made reference to “greedy Chairmen” and the atmosphere at a Merseyside derby she attended last year.
The Olympian said: “Regardless of the result or reasoning, a reduction in the number of opposition fans attending games is a bad thing.
“My worry is that if a trend begins in football of reducing away teams’ ticket allocations, for whatever reason, the next generation will miss out on something very special.”
Quek won gold for Britain in the 2016 Rio Olympics, beating the Netherlands in the final. She was awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours List 2017 for services to hockey.
Does what Sam Quek is saying apply in Old Firm case?
Although the column concerned the Old Firm, it challenges this issue on a wider footballing scale. If you can call it an issue.
I get what Quek’s saying. A reduction in numbers of away fans will spoil the atmosphere as a whole. But in the footballing microcosm of the Old Firm, I don’t generally believe this applies.
Rangers have a title to win. Giving Celtic the Broomloan was geeing up their players, and damaging ours. When they came to Ibrox in December, you could feel how the atmosphere affected their team. The same with the Celtic fans. They were silent the entire match.
But with such a huge financial gap between the two sides, pandering to this “preserving the atmosphere” argument for neutral supporters would see Rangers lose out.
Firstly through the financials extra season tickets bring, and secondly through a less intimidating atmosphere for a supremely better paid side.
With December’s Old Firm result, King and co were justified in the reduction of Celtic’s allocation. Liverpool and Everton aren’t competing head-to-head for a Championship. Neither side is trying to stop a rampant rival securing a record number of league titles in a row, or the ignominy which comes with it.
Whilst I get what Sam Quek is saying, when it comes to the Old Firm, there’s no time for pleasantries. You pull in every advantage you have in order to win.
And that’s exactly what Rangers did by reducing Celtic’s Old Firm ticket allocation.
