da bet7k： Rangers have cancelled Celtic's entire away ticket allocation just 24 hours ahead of Sunday's SWPL Old Firm clash at Ibrox.
da doce： Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Rangers cite 'intelligence' over 'risk' supportersCeltic lament 'hugely disappointing' decisionTop two go head-to-head on SundayWHAT HAPPENED?
The two sides meet on Sunday afternoon with Rangers enjoying a four-point lead over their rivals at the top of the league. But the game will now go ahead without away supporters after Rangers say they received intelligence about a number of tickets being purchased by fans perceived to pose a security risk requiring policing to be sourced at late notice.
AdvertisementGettyTHE EXPLANATION
The Ibrox club explained in a statement that they were not prepared to take the risk of allowing fans they deemed a 'risk' to attend a fixture that was not due to have a police presence. After Celtic's refusal to cancel tickets of people deemed to be a threat, Rangers chose to cancel the entire away allocation.
WHAT RANGERS SAID
Rangers announced via their website: "It is with regret that all tickets purchased by Celtic FC supporters for Sunday’s match at Ibrox have sadly had to be cancelled.
"Intelligence received by Rangers and Celtic on Thursday suggested groups of ‘risk’ supporters in a significant number had purchased tickets from the Celtic allocation.
"Rangers called an urgent operational meeting between both clubs and Police Scotland, with Police Scotland indicating they would need to deploy a sizeable resource at short notice as opposed to it initially being a police-free fixture.
"Rangers is committed to ensuring there are away supporters at our matches for both our men’s and women’s teams. However, a unique selling point of the women’s game is the unsegregated, family-friendly atmosphere, with many children attending these matches.
"Taking all of that into account, Rangers’ security team decided it would be unsafe to allow these ‘risk’ supporters into the stadium, and with Celtic unwilling to cancel just their tickets, the decision to cancel all tickets was taken."
WHAT CELTIC SAID
A Celtic statement read: "It has been confirmed to Celtic Football Club just this morning that all away tickets will be cancelled for tomorrow's women's SWPL match at Ibrox Stadium.
"At a time when so many are working so hard to promote and support the women's game in Scotland, the decision to deny access to so many fans is hugely disappointing, even more so given that there were a number of options available to the home club to allow our fans to safely attend in a stadium of such capacity and given the expected crowd.
"Celtic will liaise with the home club regarding refunds for all tickets and will communicate to our supporters who had purchased tickets as soon as possible.
"We are pleased to inform our supporters that the match will be broadcast at the Sports Bar within Celtic Park tomorrow for any supporters who wish to attend."