Barry Ferguson and Ian Durrant have both criticised Celtic’s stance on Rangers’ ticket allocation for the upcoming Glasgow derby, with the dispute showing no signs of cooling.
The row escalated last week when it emerged that Celtic had placed a condition on away tickets, insisting members of the Union Bears ultras group should not be included in the travelling support. That demand has led to a stand-off between the clubs.
As things stand, Rangers fans will not be in attendance at Celtic Park after the Ibrox side refused to accept those terms.
Ferguson and Durrant have made it clear they are not impressed.
Barry Ferguson and Ian Durrant: Celtic-Rangers dispute ‘sad’:
Speaking on the Five Stars VIP Podcast, Ferguson was blunt about how he sees it.
He said: “There is an SPFL sub-committee making the decision but you have to give Rangers the tickets.
“It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
“I’d be absolutely raging if you don’t get that 2500 allocation. There’s an agreement in place. You’ve got to get the tickets.
“Rangers have got to get the tickets, plain and simple.”
Durrant took it a step further, questioning the practicality of Celtic’s position.
He said: “Celtic are saying they don’t want a certain element – the Union Bears.
“Everybody is going to have to write their names down and say, ‘I’m not in the Union Bears’, to get a ticket. It’s ridiculous.
“Celtic are now pleasing themselves because they don’t want a crowd there. It’s helping them but you are depriving people of going to watch their team.
“It’s quite sad in this day and age, considering we bent over backwards to accommodate 7,500 at Ibrox. It could have been 8,000 with the way they all ran in the doors, right enough.
“We can accommodate them, but they can’t accommodate us? It’s quite sad.”
The SPFL are due to meet on Thursday to reach a final decision, with clarity on the allocation expected shortly afterwards.
The background to the dispute is still fresh. During the last derby at Ibrox, members of the Union Bears ran onto the pitch wearing balaclavas and moved toward the Celtic section, with objects thrown and a member of staff reportedly assaulted.
From the other side, the argument would be that Celtic’s own ultras group, the Green Brigade, will still be present at the return fixture.
That only adds to the complexity, especially as some of the incidents from the previous match involved individuals not clearly linked to either group.
On that occasion, Celtic had been given the full Broomloan Stand at Ibrox under Scottish Cup rules, which is now being referenced as part of the wider debate over fairness and consistency.