The SPFL this morning released a statement on the ongoing controversy surrounding the away ticket allocation for the Glasgow Derby matches, after Celtic this week took the decision to withhold an away allocation to the club currently playing out of Hampden, due to them not as yet fulfilling their obligations under the agreement reached earlier this year to provide 5% of the stadium capacity to away supporters.
Celtic asked for and failed to receive guarantees that the necessary work that would be needed at Ibrox will be completed before the Glasgow Derby fixture scheduled to take place there early in 2025. Unfortunately theRangers were not in a position to provide Celtic with any re-assuarance whatsoever. Indeed there is no guarantee that Ibrox will be the venue for the second Scottish Premiership meeting of the sides this season.
Hampden is the current rented home for theRangers as their own stadium is out of commission due to building work issues over at the Copeland Road side of their ground. No work has yet begun on altering the entrance facilities for the Celtic support, while Celtic, as per the agreement, has fulfilled all of their own obligations.
The SPFL statement, as published on their official website, reads as follows:
AWAY TICKET ALLOCATION FOR MATCHES BETWEEN RANGERS AND CELTIC…
Following recent media coverage around the issue of away tickets for matches between Celtic and Rangers, the SPFL has spoken with both clubs and can confirm it has been agreed between all three parties that:
• the September 2024 and January 2025 William Hill Premiership matches between Rangers and Celtic will take place with a zero allocation for away supporters
• thereafter, Rangers and Celtic will provide ticket allocations of around 5% of respective stadium capacity for away supporters, for SPFL matches between the two clubs. This remains subject to all necessary requirements being satisfied at both Ibrox and Celtic Park.
An SPFL spokesperson said: “The presence of away fans is a vital ingredient of the passion, drama and excitement that is the hallmark of the William Hill Premiership. We are pleased that Rangers and Celtic are committed to achieving the return of away supporters to their derby matches as soon as possible.”
There are comments criticising the SPFL for this statement but that misses the point. The league clarifies that there will be no away tickets at the first two games and crucially that the introduction of the 5% away allocation will ONLY happen ‘subject to all necessary requirements being satisfied at both Ibrox and Celtic Park’.
Celtic has already fulfilled all such requirements, as you can go see for yourself on Sunday when we play Hibs at Celtic Park. The ball is in theRangers court and after today no-one can be in any doubt about that.
The one other point worth mentioning is that the 5% allocation applies to Celtic Park and Ibrox, it was never intended to be implemented at Hampden and the Police certainly would have objected to that scenario had it been proposed. Maybe this controversy has been manufactured to hide the bad news that the Glasgow Derby in January is likely to be played at Hampden rather than Ibrox?
Time will tell.
Meanwhile Adam Idah was speaking to the Celtic fan media at Celtic Park yesterday afternoon, here’s everything that was said…
Regarding away fans ticket allocation for Glasgow derbies, why is it that we are being penalised with 500 less tickets for ibrox than theRangers are getting for Parkhead? Surely the fairest solution is to allocate a like for like quantity. Ie. Either 2500 each based on the capacity of Ibrox or 3000 each based on the capacity of Parkhead…. dealing in percentages means we will always be getting 500 less away tickets for having the larger stadium….. HAIL HAIL 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪