MX23RW : Friday, January 10 05:41:54| >> :120:55945:55945:

Rangers have 'no intention' of increasing Celtic allocation, says chairman

Rangers have 'no intention' of increasing Celtic allocation, says chairman
© Reuters
Dave King was speaking at the Rangers International Football Club's annual general meeting at the Clyde Auditorium.

Rangers chairman Dave King insists he has "no intention" of reversing the decision to slash Celtic's ticket allocation at Ibrox.

The Light Blues announced earlier this season they would be handing their Old Firm rivals just 800 seats for the December 29 derby clash – a move which saw the Hoops respond in tit-for-tat fashion ahead of the pair's September meeting at Parkhead.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has also criticised Gers' move, with the Northern Irishman claiming it has damaged the fixture as a spectacle.

"There has been something taken away from the games," said Rodgers. "I think over the course of the games, home and away, they have been great spectacles, partly because of the impact of the away support. That's now limited."

But King, speaking at the Rangers International Football Club's annual general meeting at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, insists the new arrangement is here to stay.

Responding to a question from a shareholder, the South Africa-based tycoon said: "I can give you absolute assurance that the board has no intention of reversing that decision."

Managing director Stewart Robertson also warned the Parkhead players they have a "responsibility" to behave both during and after next month's Ibrox showdown.

It comes after the publication of a police memo which claimed the Celtic squad had provoked an angry response from Rangers fans following their 1-0 home win in the opening derby battle of the season.

An unnamed superintendent claimed there had been a "clear link between the actions of the Celtic players (which immediately inflamed an already delicate situation) and subsequent response of the Rangers fans".

Another police report, which was published following a Freedom of Information request, claimed: "Celtic players did a lap of the pitch before stopping in front of the Rangers supporters and celebrating which incensed the Rangers supporters.

"Public order officers intervened to prevent disorder and them entering the pitch."

The police debrief stated they would liaise with clubs over "post-match celebrations on the pitch".

However, Rodgers insists it is "unfair" to blame his players for the actions of opposition fans.

But Robertson says the Hoops squad did play a part in the ugly scenes following the match.

He told the meeting: "Players have a responsibility to be very careful about their actions during games and after games.

"Every action can have a reaction, as we saw that day. We just can't have a repeat of that and players have to be very conscious of what they are doing, whether it be celebrations or other actions.

"We would hope we don't see any repeat of that at all, anywhere."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Andy Newport, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '1c51ad01-cd4d-4f2b-822f-226ea24fb1bf');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Rangers have \u2018no intention\u2019 of increasing Celtic allocation, says chairman'});

ID:342650: cacheID:342650:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5521:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
An intense-looking Brendan Rodgers in charge of Celtic on October 4, 2018
Read Next:
Rodgers defends his players' post-match celebrations
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic2118215775056
2RangersRangers21125438172141
3Dundee UnitedDundee Utd229763024634
4Aberdeen2110473230234
5Motherwell229492734-731
6St Mirren2283112737-1027
7Dundee2275103438-426
8Hibernian226883135-426
9Kilmarnock2367102537-1225
10Ross County226792238-1625
11Hearts2265112531-623
12St Johnstone2243152444-2015


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!