Rangers will give Celtic just 300 tickets for next month’s League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, CeltsAreHere understands, abandoning the kind of allocation Celtic supporters have become accustomed to receiving for league meetings across the city.
It is a remarkable decision ahead of another Glasgow Derby and one that will inevitably be viewed through the prism of what happened the last time Celtic visited Ibrox in a cup competition.
Celtic knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup on penalties in March, with ugly scenes following the final whistle.
The Hoops supporters entered the pitch while celebrating the victory before Rangers supporters also came onto the playing surface, with aggression on their mind.
That afternoon has now resulted in serious consequences for both clubs.
The Scottish FA ruled on Friday that Celtic and Rangers must play their next home Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors. Celtic immediately hit back at the decision, saying they were “shocked by this disproportionate punishment for a relatively small incursion by Celtic supporters at a moment of emotion and celebration.”
The bhoys also made the important point that they were the away club that afternoon and were therefore not responsible for the safety arrangements at Ibrox.
Against that backdrop, Rangers have now decided their Glasgow rivals will receive only 300 tickets for the upcoming League Cup tie.
There is no Scottish Cup-style 20 per cent away allocation rule in the League Cup, meaning Rangers are not obliged to hand Celtic thousands of tickets. They are entitled to make the decision.
That does not make it any less petty.
Around 2,500 away supporters have been permitted at recent league derbies following an agreement between the clubs. Rather than carry something approaching that arrangement into the League Cup, Rangers have gone in the opposite direction.
Only 300 away supporters will now be inside Ibrox.
We probably should not be surprised.
Rangers are enduring another miserable start to a season and have already been eliminated from two European competitions before August is finished. Now, with Celtic coming back to Ibrox for another knockout tie, the travelling support has been cut to a token allocation.
Whatever Rangers’ reasoning, the optics are dreadful and speak to a club scrambling for control of anything.
There is also a legitimate question over how comfortable Celtic supporters should currently feel attending Ibrox at all.
Glasgow Derby Ibrox Ticket Saga
The scenes following the Scottish Cup quarter-final were serious enough to lead to an independent review and ultimately disciplinary action from the Scottish FA. Nobody should exaggerate what happened or tar an entire support with the actions of individuals, but equally, the events cannot simply be brushed aside and Rangers have failed at protecting supporters on both sides.
Rangers can give out 300 tickets under the competition rules.
The Hoops support are equally entitled to look at the timing, the backdrop and the dramatic reduction from the league allocation and draw their own conclusions.
We have approached Celtic for comment.
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