Football’s worst ever conspiracy once again reared it’s ugly head as holier than thou Celtic denied big bad Rangers tickets for the upcoming Old Firm derby.
Despite Rangers jumping through the necessary bureaucratic hoops – and the SPFL recognising that Celtic must offer the Gers a reasonable amount of tickets – the Parkhead club have been allowed to refuse Rangers briefs for their trip to Parkhead.
It comes after Celtic refused to take any tickets for the first Old Firm clash of the season at Ibrox, despite being offered over 700 briefs by Rangers.
Citing safety issues, Rangers adhered to every expectation from Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council ahead of the Scottish Premiership clash but it still wasn’t enough.
The Parkhead side, conversely, have told journalists that they want a return to the 7000 briefs previously given to their supporters at Ibrox before Rangers cut the allocation in 2018.
And really that’s what this is all about. Even if they’ll have to suck it up.
The Ibrox side are clear that after season tickets were sold in these seats, there will be no return to the old allocation. But in lieu of all this, we have just one question.
Given Rangers no longer exist (apparently), what old allocation are they actually talking about?
As Celtic fans scream big bad Rangers, cutting allocations is nothing new with Hibs kickstarting the trend by cutting the number of Gers fans for an end-of-season clash at Easter Road in 2018.
Several Scottish Premiership clubs have since followed suit, with the days of Rangers and Celtic fans dominating grounds around the country officially over. Well, unless you’re cash-strapped Livingston.
Despite Rangers winning their case at an SPFL board sub-committee, a lack of Celtic evidence has prevented a reasonable number of tickets being decided.
And yet it appears nothing is going to be done.
The entire thing has blown up in the SPFL’s faces with a furious Rangers demanding answers, openly criticising the organisation, and sending a reminder about the governance review into the SPFL’s shambolic leadership.
“This decision calls into question the effectiveness, and highlights the procedural defects, of SPFL Rule I27,” reads an excerpt from a Rangers statement.
“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.”
We wonder just how independent – and as a result how bad – that review is going to be. Don’t get us started on cinch.
Celtic meanwhile, whilst refusing to mention Rangers by name in a hilariously childish statement, claim they “stand by” their decision.
Scottish football deserves better than SPFL hierarchy
This will all come as no surprise to the Rangers board, who have fought mercilessly to remove the incompetent leadership at the top of the Scottish game.
Despite sitting on inflated salaries – Neil Doncaster makes more than Rangers did in prize money for winning the League Cup – those running Scottish football couldn’t run a bath.
Our lack of any genuine commercial structure and running jokes about our two-bit TV deal appear to make little difference to those in these shamelessly expensive and watertight positions.
And all of this is happening whilst Celtic – and increasingly other clubs in Scottish football – believe there is some deep-rooted Masonic conspiracy in the halls of Hampden trying to aid Rangers.
With the SPFL’s lost votes, winter breaks being brought forward, and now flagrant rule breaches at Celtic Park, it’s got to be the worst conspiracy in the history of conspiracies.
It’s time for real change for the good of Scottish football, and we don’t just mean by enforcing minimum allocations for away supporters.
By continuing in their roles at the top of the game, despite their inability to enforce their own rules and their woeful track record commercially, it’s evidence of one thing.
These guys do not care for the good of the Scottish game as a matter of priority – it’s their own interests which come first, as they always have.
