SORT THIS OUT
Celtic call for SPFL action in ticket spat
CELTIC last night called for an SPFL summit to resolve a tit-for-tat Old Firm ticket stand-off.
The Premiership champions have confirmed they will cut the ticket allocation for Rangers fans to just 800 for Steven Gerrard’s first visit to Parkhead on September 2.
The move is in response to Rangers’ announcement two months ago which confirmed their arch rivals will receive under 900 briefs for their next trip to Ibrox, which is on December 29.
Celtic claimed they had no desire to change the ticket arrangements but felt compelled to respond to a Rangers decision made ‘without any form of discussion’.
Both clubs previously received 7,000 away tickets
for Glasgow derbies. Celtic are now seeking discussions, marshalled by the SPFL, to revert to the previous arrangement.
In a statement last night, the Parkhead club said: ‘Celtic Football Club has confirmed that it will issue approximately 800 tickets to visiting supporters for the fixture against Rangers at Celtic Park on September 2.
‘This mirrors the decision announced recently by Rangers.
‘This is not a development we welcome and it is unfortunate that the initial decision came without any form of discussion.
‘The previous arrangements worked well for both sets of supporters as well as contributing to the status of the fixture as a sporting occasion.
‘Following the unilateral action by Rangers, we cannot allow our own supporters to be doubly penalised, by having access to the away fixture reduced so dramatically, while not being offered the opportunity to maximise our own support at Celtic Park.’
Rangers attributed their decision to end Celtic’s traditional occupation of the Broomloan Stand to ‘unprecedented demand’ for season tickets following the arrival of new manager Gerrard.
Calling on the SPFL to broker discussions between the two sides, the Celtic statement added: ‘The rules of the SPFL call for “reasonable” provision to be made for visiting supporters, without being specific on numbers. Within that context, we would welcome further discussions involving the two clubs and the SPFL.’
Rangers announced a change to the existing arrangements in May after confirming record season-book numbers.
They said at the time: ‘An unfortunate consequence of putting our supporters first is that this increased demand negatively impacts on the number of tickets for visiting teams.
‘We believe that this is the best outcome after the unprecedented levels of support from our fans.’