Hutton ‘can’t stand’ Celtic v Rangers debate after confirmed news
Alan Hutton “can’t stand” the debate between Celtic and Rangers over ticket allocations.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Gers defender who played when the clubs allowed 7,000 away supporters, said it takes away from the atmosphere to cut the fans out.
In recent seasons the away allocation for the games at Parkhead and Ibrox was cut to just 700 fans and that has been the case for the previous iterations of the fixtures this season.
As relayed by Sky Sports (17 March), the last two Premiership matches of the season between the rivals will be played without any away fans.
The decision comes after incidents at both stadia in recent matches and the clubs decided to only admit home fans for the upcoming matches.
The pair face off on 8 April at Parkhead before their Scottish Cup semi-final clash at Hampden.
The former will feature zero away supporters whereas for the match at Hampden the ticket allocations will be split allowing both sets of fans to attend.
When asked for his opinion on the ticketing disagreement, Hutton told Football Insider: “I can’t stand it.
“I have played in ones where you go to the away ground and you have your whole support there and I have done it the opposite way at Ibrox with all the Celtic supporters.
“It adds to the atmosphere, it makes it special. I used to love playing in that environment. To take that away, it does not have the same feel.
“You look at how it will be at the semi-final or how it was at the final, the atmosphere is incredible. That is what enhances the game, that is what makes people turn it on and watch it.
“To have 700 fans just feels pointless and ultimately it is the fans who are not getting the benefit so it is a real shame.“
In other news, ex-Fifa referee suggests how SFA can fix VAR after Rangers and Celtic controversies.