It wouldn’t be an Old Firm fixture without some sort of row. As has been the case so often of late, the furore centres on ticket allocations.
The Rangers Review revealed on Friday evening that Celtic had made a move to block away supporters from attending the final derby of the campaign next month. The fixture – set for Sunday, April 10 – could be potentially decisive in the Premiership title as Danny Rohl looks to win the three-way fight for the silverware.
These matches do not need any hyperbole but always create headlines. Here, the Rangers Review answers the key questions over the latest developments.
Read more:
- Exclusive: Rangers fans set to be locked out of Parkhead for final Old Firm of season
- Every word Danny Rohl said on James Tavernier exit timing and board talks in Spain
What is the issue this time?
Rangers were informed on Thursday that Celtic would be withholding their allocation of around 2,200 tickets. The Parkhead hierarchy have expressed concerns over the attendance of the Union Bears following the scenes that marred the end of the Scottish Cup quarter-final fixture at Ibrox last month. Rangers firmly rejected the demand to ban the Union Bears, whose members would only have represented a tiny minority – perhaps just one per cent – of those situated in the away end for the fifth derby of the season.
Rangers have a robust sanction policy in place and have been in regular dialogue with Police Scotland, the Safety Advisory Group and the Fan Advisory Board. The perpetrators from the disorder last month will be dealt with on an individual basis and no collective punishment will be handed out to any particular group as a result of the events that followed Rangers’ penalty shoot-out defeat.
There is a fundamental disagreement between the clubs over how sanctions should be handed out regarding those incidents, which is the subject of an independent Scottish FA probe that will be headed by Mark Blackbourne.
Fans from both clubs invaded the pitch and Rangers highlighted the extensive graffiti in the Broomloan Stand mocking the 1971 Ibrox Disaster. In a statement after that match, Rangers said: "Finally, it is important that the reputation of Rangers supporters is treated fairly in this discussion. Tens of thousands of people attended Ibrox on Sunday simply to support their team with pride and to watch a football match. We will not accept a narrative that ignores the full context of what happened.”
What has been said?
Celtic expressed their ‘surprise and disappointment’ that Rangers rejected what the Parkhead club called a ‘reasonable request’ to ban the Union Bears from the derby. It is understood that Celtic have repeatedly asked Rangers to sanction the ultras group following the match in March amid their own ongoing battles with the Green Brigade and large sections of their support.
In a statement shortly after the Rangers Review broke the news about the away fan ban, Ibrox chiefs confirmed they had taken the matter to the SPFL board and urged them to ‘uphold the integrity of the competition, enforce the rules and ensure that the agreement in place between both clubs is honoured.’
Rangers have been clear in condemning the actions of their fans who were involved in the shameful scenes last month. The previous arrangements – which included changes to the entry times and the installation of nets around the away sections – had been acceptable for the first three Premiership fixtures and Rangers believe that same blueprint should be in place next month.
A statement read: “We have been attempting to work with Celtic to mitigate any security concerns for the upcoming match. At a crucial stage of the season, the removal of away supporters from one of the defining fixtures of the competition would introduce a clear and material sporting imbalance. It would also set a precedent with potentially significant consequences for the league in future seasons.”
Danny Rohl's side were 3-1 winners on their last trip to Parkhead in January. On that occasion, the match passed without any significant issues as the away support celebrated a famous win. The absence of Rangers fans would clearly be a disadvantage to Rohl's side and raise serious concerns over the sporting integrity of the competition.
Could there be a long-term ramifications?
Rangers proposed a multi-agency planning approach with different stakeholders to plan for the fourth league meeting, which could go some way to determining the outcome of the title race given that Rohl's side sit ahead of Celtic in the standings heading into the post-split schedule.
The current framework has only been in place for a handful of matches following return of around 800 fans in previous seasons. That came after a blanket ban on away supporters and Celtic's hardline stance could herald a return to those days if an agreement cannot be reached.
Rangers agreed to a 7000 allocation for the Ibrox fixture last month. That came after calls from Martin O’Neill for Celtic to be given the full 10,000 seats that they were entitled to under competition rules. As reported by the Rangers Review at the time, the Scottish FA made strong representations for the entire Broomloan Stand to be given over to Celtic for that last-eight tie amid suggestions that the case could have been put to the Compliance Officer.
It was agreed by all parties before that match that both clubs would return to allocations of around five per cent at Ibrox and Parkhead. Rangers were previously content to not move away from that situation but the agreement is now under real jeopardy after this move from Celtic.
Rangers have already taken their case to the SPFL and a sub-committee will be held to determine on the case. It is understood that meeting will take place next week and timing is clearly of the essence.
An SPFL spokesperson said: “The SPFL Board will now appoint a sub-committee to consider Rangers’ request for a determination under SPFL Rule I27.”
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