Hoops vow to fight for fans over kick-offs
CELTIC have promised fans they will fight for fairer kick-off times after admitting supporters are unhappy with the scheduling of games.
The Hoops have expressed disappointment at the start time for next month’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Hibs and a clash with Ross County in the run-up to Christmas.
The semi-final at Hampden has a 5.30pm kick-off on Saturday, November 2 while their December 1 trip to Dingwall has a noon start.
That means supporters from Glasgow will need to leave by 8am on a Sunday.
A Hoops statement said: “There have been a number of scheduling issues raised by supporters groups recently, such as the Betfred Cup semifinal and SPFL match against Ross County in Dingwall having a noon kick-off on
December 1. Clearly, these kickoff times are hugely inconvenient for supporters.
“The issue of match scheduling has always been complex. There are a number of parties involved in the scheduling of matches, including the SPFL, broadcast media partners and Police Scotland, all of whom have their own considerations.
“We fully understand and appreciate the travel difficulties that can be caused by matches of this nature and we will continue to make the views of the club known and work to ensure consideration is given to these important issues.”
Celtic were also critical of Aberdeen for cutting their ticket allocation as they promised away supporters their record won’t be affected by not getting a Pittodrie ticket.
The Dons have cut allocation for Celtic fans by more than 300 and the statement said: “The away ticket record of supporters will NOT be negatively affected should they be unfortunate enough to miss out on the club’s trip to Pittodrie on October 27.
“The club has traditionally operated a points system for the allocation of away tickets, based on match attendance. However, this was a decision made by Aberdeen and is something totally outwith our control.”