No away fans at the next Old Firm clash

RANGERS fans will be prevented from attending the second Old Firm match of the season at Celtic Park on January 2. Celtic have now decided against handing their city rivals any tickets for the Premiership clash after their fans were denied the chance to attend the game at Ibrox on August 29. It means that the Glasgow derby will be without visiting fans for the second successive match for the first time in its history. Rangers were set to hand Celtic around 700 tickets for the first clash of this term on the condition that the arrangement would be reciprocated in the New Year. With Celtic unable to give a cast-iron guarantee that Covid red zone restrictions would be lifted by then — allowing visiting fans back into their stadium — Rangers pulled the plug on the deal. And last week it was confirmed at a Celtic fans Q&A that the club had no intention of restoring Rangers’ allocation in time for the next clash. It remains to be seen if 700 visiting fans will be permitted to attend the two remaining games of this season — or if derbies populated solely by home supporters becomes the norm. Prior to 2018, the visiting club were traditionally given around 8,000 tickets but Rangers first opted to slash this, citing the increased demands of season ticket holders.

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