Celtic was left with no choice in denying ticket allocation to theRangers for upcoming Glasgow Derby at Paradise….
Celtic yesterday denied theRangers a ticket allocation for the Glasgow derby in two weeks time. It was widely expected that around 2500 tickets would be made available for visiting supporters for the clash at Paradise, and vice versa when it came to Ibrox.
But it was confirmed yesterday that Celtic have withdrawn their offer due to yet more concerns over our supporters safety when it came to the away clash in early 2025. It is unclear at this stage where that match will take place, will it be at Ibrox or will they still be playing their matches at Hampden?
No one can argue that our club came to correct conclusion, well the Hampden support and the SMSM will, but Celtic are well within their rights as they have a duty of care to the Celtic support travelling to away games to a hostile environment to ensure that all agreed safety measures have been taken. That’s true from the other side of the city too but Celtic have put in place all the agreed modifications that were agreed towards the end of last season to allow for the re-introduction of away supporters at Glasgow Derbies.
The Ibrox board have perhaps had their minds focused on building works at the other side of their currently closed until further notice stadium and maybe figured that they could deal with the changes at the away end after Ibrox re-opens. But would this work be taking place during for instance the busy fixture list in December?
The fact that they could not give Celtic guarantees is enough to justify Celtic’s decision and until Ibrox has concluded the agreed modifications then the ban on away fans will continue. If that’s sorted for later in the season, great. If not then the ban continues, and there is only one club to blame. It’s not Celtic.
As things stand theRangers can’t even guarantee their own supporters where they will be playing their games so what chance have they got of guaranteeing the safety and well being of our supporters?
The latest Ibrox club are a basket case and the safety of our supporters is paramount, and if they can’t guarantee that then we can’t accept an allocation, thus we can’t hand them one in return.
It will also be a blow to our supporters who wanted to experience the drama of a Glasgow Derby away day once more, but it’s a small price to pay to guarantee their safety, which of course is the number one priority. However there will be some Celtic supporters who will now get a ticket for the game on Sunday 1 September at Celtic Park. They’ll be delighted with this latest development.
Sky Sports however will not as yet again Scottish football does itself no favours when it comes to presenting our game on their broadcasting platform. If it’s empty seats at places like Tynecastle when theRangers were there on the opening day or Easter Road last Sunday when Celtic were in Leith, this simply makes no sense.
Bums on seats are always preferable and away support’s should always be accommodated, unless there are safety concerns.
A lot of the bears with comments like "games 4 months away" etc etc.
For context, Celtic applied in FEBRUARY 2024. A decision was then made in May 2024 before works were carried out over summer.
The idea these things are done overnight shows their stupidity. https://t.co/9udayzSvYV pic.twitter.com/2hH63PSI8L
— ᴘʙ 🍀 (@p_bov1) August 15, 2024
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
