CELTIC issued a statement this evening after the outrageous actions today by the SPFL who ignored Celtic’s call for a ballet to determine which of the two semi-final ties should be moved to Murrayfield.

At every stage in this fiasco the SPFL have shown preferential treatment to one club – Rangers. Initially Aberdeen and Hearts were both angry at the scheduling of both ties at Hampden on the same day – Aberdeen because of the early start and Hearts because of the late kick-off time on a school night.

Rangers were always happy, getting the first go on the Hampden pitch for the proposed double header. Celtic were going to be on the pitch second but were prepared to get on with it without it being ideal.

The Police apparently decided that Rangers should play first – according to Neil Doncaster anyway and it would be a fool who would believe that particular executive after the past few weeks – but no-one every challenged them on why.

What is clear today is that it was the SPFL Board – not the Police or anyone else – who made the call to IGNORE Celtic and give Rangers the advantage of staying at Hampden while at the same time allowing Hearts to play what is practically a home match in a stadium where they actually played a promotion of their home games only last season.

Meanwhile the Celtic support is out of pocket and many may actually not now be able to attend.

Here’s what Celtic have said in their statement this evening…

“FOLLOWING today’s SPFL Board meeting, at which it was decided that Celtic’s Betfred League Cup semi-final against Hearts will now take place at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Sunday, October 28, with the other semi-final between Rangers and Aberdeen being held at Hampden later the same day, Celtic Football Club has released the following statement.

“The SPFL Board’s decision not to hold a ballot to decide the venues of the forthcoming semi-final matches is both irrational and discriminatory.

“Celtic recognised there was a genuinely difficult problem to resolve. All we asked for was equity of treatment – in other words, a simple ballot of which game went to which venue, so that all clubs would have a 50-50 chance of playing at Hampden.

“We understand that those bodies consulted, including the police and broadcasters, had no preference whatsoever on which match should take place at each venue and, therefore, there was only one appropriate method of reaching a fair outcome.

“The SPFL Board have been unable to produce logic or reason for turning down our modest request. Instead, they have arbitrarily decided that a chosen game should stay at Hampden and the other should go to Murrayfield.

“The interests of our club and supporters have been subordinated to a diktat from the SPFL board which is as unfair as it was unnecessary.

“Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell was excused from the SPFL board meeting due to the subject under discussion.”

Have your say over on the new fans forum Celtic Noise…