Rangers: James Bisgrove details outcome of Old Firm talks with Police, Sky and SPFL
Rangers CEO James Bisgrove has insisted that the club will never agree to an away allocation higher than five per cent for their Old Firm clashes with Celtic.
The 2023/24 campaign represents the last season where Old Firm games will be contested without away fans present, with a five per cent allocation agreement set to come into effect from next term.
However, Bisgrove has revealed that, while the club are content with this arrangement, they will not agree to increase that percentage in the future.
Speaking as part of the Ibrox Fans’ Forum, as quoted by the Four Lads Had a Dream blog, Bisgrove said: “[The Old Firm allocation will be] five per cent from next season. The club’s position is there should always be away fans. It couldn’t continue with zero.
“The decision came after dialogue with Police, Sky, and the League, and we are satisfied with the outcome.
“It’s an unfortunate consequence for the fans moving but the key focus is to ensure they have a number of options.
“It will be a positive for the spectacle. But we will never go beyond five per cent. If we hadn’t engaged, another number higher could have been imposed on us which wouldn’t have been acceptable.”
Rangers stand firm in Old Firm negotiations
Bisgrove has clearly garnered a better perspective of Rangers fan sentiment since the early days of his appointment and his misguided Sydney Super Cup proposal.
While it appears to be widely accepted that the spectacle of the Old Firm derby should include away fans and would improved by their presence, Bisgrove’s stance indicates that Rangers will not be bullied into allowing more Celtic supporters at Ibrox than they deem appropriate.
The home advantage is of significant importance in the Old Firm clashes, and the Gers will be keen to retain as much of an edge as possible as they battle their rivals for silverware season after season.
The most recent contest at Ibrox on 7 April finished 3-3 in dramatic fashion as Philippe Clement’s men battled back from an early 2-0 deficit, with substitute Rabbi Matondo netting the decisive strike late on.
Their next clash on 11 May could hold even greater significance, however. With Rangers trailing Celtic in the title race, victory at Parkhead could be their only route to winning the league.
In other Rangers news, the SPFL have avoided Gers “carnage” with a post-split fixture decision in the Scottish Premiership.
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