Celtic and Rangers Begin Talks to Resolve Old Firm Away Allocations Impasse

Celtic and Rangers have initiated discussions in an attempt to find a resolution to the ongoing deadlock over away fan allocations in Old Firm matches. The previous two derby games were played without away supporters present in the stadium, prompting the SPFL to encourage both clubs to settle the issue.

Since the arrival of Steven Gerrard as manager, demand for season tickets has increased significantly at both Celtic and Rangers. As a result, the clubs have only assigned around 750 away tickets at times. However, Celtic has declined the offer of away tickets during this period, highlighting concerns regarding safety and security. In the most recent Old Firm derby at Celtic Park in December, Rangers were not offered any tickets.

If an agreement is reached, it is unlikely that the numbers of away allocations would return to the levels seen prior to 2018, when up to 8,000 away fans attended the fixture. However, according to SPFL rules, clubs must make provisions for “reasonable numbers” of visiting supporters.

Celtic has expressed their desire to address this issue and reach a compromise on reasonable allocations for Old Firm matches, following Rangers’ expression of extreme disappointment at being without supporters at Celtic Park for the most recent encounter on 30 December. Celtic had previously rejected an allocation of around 700 tickets for the fixture at Ibrox on 3 September due to safety concerns.

A small number of away supporters were present during the first two league derbies last season. However, for the final two games, no away fans were allowed inside either Ibrox or Celtic Park due to safety concerns arising from incidents involving a group of 800 away supporters during the earlier matches.