Away fans to be excluded from all Old Firm matches
Scottish champion Celtic and arch-rival Rangers have agreed that no away supporters will attend matches between the two teams in Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) competitions for the rest of the season, the SPFL announced on Saturday (AEST).
The temporary arrangement comes after an independent Scottish Football Association review of events surrounding the Scottish Cup quarter-final between the two sides at Ibrox stadium on 9 March (AEST) and subsequent talks involving the SPFL, both clubs and Police Scotland.
The match was marred by a pitch invasion and clashes between rival supporters after Celtic won a penalty shootout after a goalless stalemate, with fireworks thrown while police officers and stewards formed a barrier between the two groups to regain order as players hurried off the field.
"From a normal fan's viewpoint, it's really quite sad," Celtic manager Martin O'Neill said.
"I must admit, it's one of the most phenomenal fixtures in European football, if not the world. And despite the calibre of the teams, it's just a mouth-watering fixture."
Rangers and Celtic had previously agreed to give visiting fans an allocation of five per cent of available capacity at both grounds.
Rangers proposed a smaller allocation for the Scottish League Cup quarter-final on 14 September (AEST) after assessing the circumstances and risks surrounding the fixture. Celtic rejected that proposal and asked the SPFL to make a determination.
After further discussions, both clubs and the league agreed to exclude away supporters while they consider the review’s findings and recommendations and allow more time to plan future fixtures.
"Generally speaking it's always better in any fixture if your supporters are there to be able to watch your team, but obviously in the context of everything that's gone on with this fixture there's a lot to consider and a lot to discuss," Rangers manager Derek McInnes said.
Safety and security remains the priority for the SPFL, which announced that the arrangement could be reviewed if circumstances changed materially during the season.
Dating back to 1888, the Old Firm derby is one of the oldest and most intense rivalries in world football and has historically been shaped by political and religious division.
