Dalglish: Safety comes before the atmosphere

Scotland legend backs move to ban Old Firm away fans

Sir Kenny Dalglish has backed the decision to keep visiting fans away from the two remaining Old Firm matches in the Premiership this season.

The 72-year-old – a veteran of many Glasgow showdowns during his time as a Celtic player in the 1970s – insists that supporters’ safety should always be of paramount concern.

The Parkhead club instigated this latest move after concerns for their fans when they headed to Ibrox.

They decided it was best not to accept any tickets, and informed Rangers they did not want their allocation for the final clash between the teams in May.

The Light Blues’ Board followed suit, and decided not accept a ticket allocation when their club travels to the East End for the fixture on April 8.

Dalglish (left), who was Liverpool manager at the time of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989, told The Sunday Post: “My preference would be to have it back to the way it used to be, when Celtic had 7,000 or 8,000 fans at Ibrox and Rangers had the same number at Parkhead.

“It changed a few years ago when Rangers reduced it to 800 fans to make sure their season-ticket holders were given priority.

“That was unfortunate, but I could understand where they were coming from. Celtic then followed suit.

“We are now at a stage where there will be no visiting supporters at the next two league games, and that will dilute the atmosphere.

“It will still be a fantastic fixture – but a little bit of something has been taken away.

“But if it’s down to putting the safety of supporters first, then you need to respect that.

“All fans need to feel safe, and be safe, when going to the football.”