There are growing concerns that the current stand-off over away supporters in Old Firm fixtures could spill into next season, with fears it may set a precedent for future meetings between Rangers and Celtic.
The tension stems from the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox back in March, where Celtic progressed on penalties in a match that ended in chaotic scenes. After the final whistle, supporters from both clubs spilled onto the pitch, prompting widespread condemnation and a review of safety arrangements.
That incident has now fed directly into the upcoming league clash at Celtic Park. Celtic have decided not to provide tickets for Rangers fans for the fixture, a move that has triggered a strong response from the Ibrox club, who have since escalated the matter to the SPFL.
How long could this situation last?
Concerns are now being raised that the dispute may not end here. BBC Sport Scotland’s Tom English believes it could easily escalate into next season if neither side backs down.
Speaking on Sportsound, he said: “I can pretty much guarantee you that if there are no Rangers fans at Celtic Park on May 10th, there will be no Celtic fans at Ibrox, for the first Old Firm game of the season at Ibrox next season. Then Celtic will retaliate. and then Rangers will respond. and we’ll go round and round in circles. So it’s a big moment for the SPFL to make a ruling on this.
“I’d hate to be on the sub-committee overseeing this. I can understand why Celtic don’t want the Union Bears at Celtic Park. Even though it might that their allocation would be 1% I believe of the Rangers allocation, might be 30 or 40 of the Union Bears. I can understand why Celtic wouldn’t want them anywhere near Celtic Park given what happened at Ibrox. Equally I could understand why Rangers wouldn’t want the Green Brigade at Ibrox.
“I can understand like at some point, I’m thinking no away fans, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Yes, the innocent get caught up in the guilty, and it’s no kind of a solution really. But this is this is where we are. What I find really kind of odd is Celtic really trying to assume the moral high ground.
“Something has to happen here. The SPFL won’t do it, Rangers haven’t sanctioned the Union Bears, so Celtic would see it’s incumbent on them. It obviously plays well with the fans and there’s the sporting advantage element as well of having the whole of Celtic Park full of Celtic fans, let’s let’s not be naïve about that. It’s tit for tat.
“If there are no Rangers fans at Celtic Park, your precedent is set then, so that you could roll that out and say oh well if Hearts don’t want Rangers or Celtic fans, they say well the precedent is set now, we don’t have to have them. So the ramifications of this are significant, absolutely significant.”
“We loved it when both sets of fans were there”
Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner also added his view, reflecting on how different the atmosphere used to feel when both sets of supporters were present.
He said: “We as ex-players loved the atmosphere when there was two groups of fans there. It was two groups of fans who behaved themselves. That’s the key and that’s what we’re all looking for, we’d all dream of that, but that’s not easy. I was worried before the last game, maybe the last game was the wrong game to pick actually because it was always going to be a team that had to win that game, and a team that was going to be sorry losers. There was always going to be a reaction and maybe that was a mistake.”
