Celtic responds to Rangers’ ‘grossly unfair’ statement on Tuesday’s development.

Celtic have issued a response to Rangers regarding away ticket allocations for the upcoming Old Firm derby between the two clubs.

According to Sky Sports (19 December), Rangers will have no supporters at the 30 December match at Celtic Park.

The publication added that despite winning a case before an SPFL board subcommittee that agreed Celtic’s stance of providing zero tickets was unreasonable, an appropriate number could not be reached.

According to the official Celtic website (19 December), “We are pleased that the sub-committee recognised the importance of safety and matchday experience issues in considering the question of a reasonable allocation for both fixtures.”

“While respecting the ongoing process, Celtic stands by its decision not to allocate any tickets for away supporters for the match on December 30th.

“Celtic will continue to focus on the importance of safety and matchday experience issues as we look to address reasonable allocations at Celtic Park and Ibrox from next year, in a responsible manner.”

Disappointing

Regardless of which club they support, both Rangers and Celtic fans will be disappointed by this news, with supporters undoubtedly adding to the excitement of this historic match.

The same can be said for the players, who would prefer to play in front of a boisterous and atmospheric crowd.

But that will not be the case when the two rivals meet again at Celtic Park at the end of the month.

That will also be a setback for Philippe Clement, who is preparing for his first Old Firm derby as Rangers manager and would have liked to have at least some Gers supporters inside Celtic Park.

According to the official Rangers website (19 December), it is “grossly unfair” that Celtic failed to submit sufficient evidence to the Sub-Committee regarding what a reasonable number of tickets should be.

Clement and his players must simply move past the distraction and arrive at Celtic Park with a winning mentality.

In other news, Nat Phillips’ Celtic future is decided as the Liverpool defender’s loan deal comes to an end.