Rangers and Celtic chiefs urged to put egos aside amid ‘ridiculous’ stand-off
Rangers and Celtic fans generated a superb atmosphere at Hampden Park last weekend, and there are fresh calls for full away capacities to be reintroduced for the Old Firm.
Celtic beat Rangers 3-1 after extra-time in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden, with the 10-men Gers falling just short.
The national stadium was a 50-50 split, making for a great occasion, albeit one that ended in disappointment for Danny Rohl and his players.
Rangers’ loss to Celtic was controversial given the number of big refereeing calls, but it is now time to move on until the fixture comes back around early in the New Year.
Rangers and Celtic ease ticket restrictions – but more can be done
There is no doubt that Old Firm clashes in the league lost something when a ban was introduced for away fans in 2023.
Thankfully, that was lifted somewhat earlier this year as Rangers and Celtic fans were allowed to visit Parkhead and Ibrox respectively.
Some 2,000 away fans were present for Celtic’s goalless draw with Rangers at Ibrox in August.
That is a far cry from the numbers allowed to make the trip in the past, though, and on the basis of the atmosphere at Hampden last weekend, Derek Ferguson is hoping to see restrictions further lifted.
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, Ferguson – who played in numerous Old Firm clashes both home and away – said: “It’s ridiculous. They need to get around the table and get this sorted. This fixture is all about the fans.
“I can speak from personal experience. When going to Parkhead to play against Celtic, you’d turn out the tunnel, look to your right and would have 8,000 odd Rangers fans. And by god did we need them.
“It adds to everything around the fixture and gives the players a lift. Celtic and Rangers need to sort something out. I don’t know whether it’s egos or a bit of tit-for-tat, but they need to sort this out now.”
How many away fans used to attend Old Firm fixtures?
A little under a decade ago, around 7,000 away fans were allowed to attend the fixture, with that figure eventually dropping to zero in 2023.
Allowing just a couple of thousand back is a start, but that is around a quarter of what the figure should be.
Back in the 1980s, as many as 18,000 away fans are said to have crossed the divide regularly.
Some will always spoil it for others in Old Firm fixtures, unfortunately, but as long as fans do not cross the line, hopefully there is a return to the past before too long.
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