Celtic and Rangers to Play Last Two Scottish Premiership Matches without Away Fans
In a move that has shocked many football fans across Scotland and beyond, Celtic and Rangers have agreed to play their last two Scottish Premiership matches without any away fans in attendance. The first of these matches will take place on Saturday, April 8th, at Parkhead, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The date for the second match, to be played at Ibrox, is yet to be confirmed.
The decision to exclude away fans from both matches was made in response to a number of recent incidents that have marred previous meetings between the two sides. Both clubs agree that they need to work together to find solutions to these ongoing issues, which have seen limited travelling support attend games in recent times.
According to Stewart Robertson, the managing director of Rangers, the decision to dramatically reduce the away allocation from 7,000 to just 700 made sense. Speaking last season, he said, “It will be the allocation we’ve had for the last couple of years. Going into next year, and the succeeding years after that, as far as I can see, it will still be at that level. I don’t think that’s underselling the game, I can see why some might think that.”
Despite concerns from some quarters that this move will detract from the excitement and atmosphere of the games, both Celtic and Rangers are confident that it is the right decision. They believe that it will help to improve safety and security at matches, and will also ensure that the focus remains firmly on what happens on the pitch.
With the Old Firm set to meet in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park, where ticket allocations will be split, this decision is sure to generate further debate among football fans in Scotland and beyond. However, for now, it seems that both Celtic and Rangers are determined to put safety first, and to work together to find solutions to the issues that have plagued these fixtures in the past.
Sky Sports will broadcast up to 48 cinch Premiership games this season, as well as at least five SWPL matches. From 2024/25, up to 60 cinch Premiership games will be shown on the network, in addition to the SWPL. Fans can also stay up-to-date with all the latest news and analyses of Scottish football across Sky Sports’ digital and social media channels.#Firm #support #final #Celtic #Rangers #Scottish #Premiership #matches #Football #News
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