NO SAFETY CONCERNS
FROM BACK PAGE said: “First and foremost Rangers hopes the safety of our fans, who will now be in only one section of the South Stand rather than filling it completely, will not be compromised by this decision, which beggars belief.”
Hibs have refused to bite back in public because they are confident there will be no issues as the away end has been designed to accommodate rival sets of supporters.
There is also no breach of SPFL rules which dictate home clubs “must make provision for the admission of such reasonable numbers of visiting supporters at every home league match and play-off match”.
Gers are furious at the move but the Edinburgh side have ignored the storm and have already sold half of the extra allowance.
They are also expecting the remaining seats to be snapped up in the coming week with second spot in the Premiership potentially up for grabs.
The Light Blues will receive just under 2000 briefs instead of the usual full South Stand capacity of 3900, which led to a blast on the club website questioning the safety of fans in the split end.
Hibs fans have shared the away end with all visiting sides this season apart from Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and in the first match against Rangers earlier in the season.
The clash is always considered a Category A (higher risk) match by the authorities and the meeting will have the usual increased police and stewarding presence.
The rising demand from Hibees punters has forced a rethink regarding home tickets and Record Sport understands there was plans to do likewise for the visit of Celtic but they were unable to implement the move because of the quick turnaround from the release of the post-split fixtures.
The spat with Rangers has reopened old wounds with bad blood remaining following the infamous eruption in the wake of the 2016 Scottish Cup Final.