Rangers slam Celtic and SPFL as club left 'extremely disappointed' after Old Firm away ticket allocation refused

Rangers have expressed "extreme disappointment" towards the SPFL after confirming their supporters have been denied away tickets for the Old Firm derby against Celtic at Parkhead later this month.

The Hoops cited 'safety concerns' after refusing to take up around 700 tickets for the trip to Ibrox earlier in the season following a number of incidents, with the Parkhead club open to reinstating the more traditional previous away allocation at both stadiums of around 7,000 fans.

Rangers were keen to take that figure plus an additional 500 briefs for the visit to Glasgow's east end on December 30 and took their case to the Scottish Professional Football league (SPFL) Board Sub-Committee, which they claim backed the club's appeal. Rule I27 currently states that "the home club must make provision for the admission of such reasonable numbers of visiting supporters".

However, the Light Blues have been left with no tickets meaning boss Philippe Clement will sample his first taste of the Glasgow derby fixture without the presence of away supporters.

In strongly-worded club statement released today, the Viaplay Cup winners have accused their arch rivals of failing to supply enough evidence to support their stance that the Gers should NOT be entitled to any tickets.

It read: "Despite winning a case put to an SPFL Board Sub-Committee, Rangers FC, with extreme disappointment, will not have any supporters present at Parkhead for the Old Firm match on December 30.

"The Sub-Committee agreed with Rangers that Celtic FC’s stance of providing zero tickets to Rangers’ fans was unreasonable. Despite the fact that the Sub-Committee agreed with Rangers, the Sub-Committee was unwilling to determine what a ‘reasonable’ number of tickets for the fixture would be.

"The Sub-Committee was unable to determine this reasonable number due to the fact that the other party had not submitted enough evidence on this issue, despite having ample opportunity to do so in the weeks and months leading up to the hearing. "Rangers’ position has always been clear. We want away fans from all clubs at our stadium and wish for that to be reciprocated when we travel to other clubs’ grounds. This decision calls into question the effectiveness, and highlights the procedural defects, of SPFL Rule I27.

"To Rangers, it is grossly unfair that if a club (in this case Celtic) fails to submit sufficient evidence as part of such proceedings, it effectively ties the hands of a Sub-Committee in being able to determine what a reasonable number of tickets should be; especially when the Sub-Committee agrees that the reasonable number cannot be zero.

"Conversely, if a club (in this case Rangers) complies fully and provides all necessary information in good faith, it can still be penalised. The club will consider its position before participating in any further SPFL led hearings.

"Rangers, alongside several other SPFL clubs, also looks forward to the overdue findings of the ongoing, protracted SPFL Governance review. Rangers will be making no further comment at this time."