‘Hypocrisy’ – Sutton destroys Rangers over controversial plans for next season
Chris Sutton has slammed Rangers for what he calls ‘hypocrisy’ over their decision to cut the Celtic allocation at Ibrox next season.
Talking in his column in the Daily Record, Sutton said that their move to cut the Ibrox allocation for away fans from 8,000 to just 800 is bad for Scottish football.
Rangers announced the move after unprecedented demand for season tickets on the back of Steven Gerrard arriving as new manager.
Soon after the announcement, Celtic announced they would do the same in a tit-for-tat move that Sutton has also criticised.
Sutton claims that Scottish football is on the up but that it all depends on fans and that this move would have a “huge impact” on the biggest games of the season.
Sutton also pointed out that Rangers complained last season when Hibs cut their allocation to just under 1,500 on the last day of the season.
He said that just smacks of hypocrisy now, after the Ibrox club had complained about public safety issues.
“Football is all about the fans so Rangers’ ticket bombshell to slash Celtic’s Ibrox allocation from 8000 to 800 from next season smacked of one word,” Suttons said. “Hypocrisy.
“Rangers had a right moan at Hibs for the exact same thing. They complained the safety of their supporters was paramount and had helped fill the coffers of clubs such as Hibs on their way back up the leagues.
“If that is the case then can Rangers guarantee the Celtic supporters safety now at Ibrox if the fans are going to be crammed into a tiny corner of the ground?
“Let’s get one thing clear. This is not good news for the Scottish game. These matches are all about the supporters and atmosphere.”
Football Insider verdict:
You don’t need to be playing football to get drama in Scottish football. Ticketgate kicked off this week when Rangers announced they would be slashing Celtic’s allocation for Old Firm games and hosuing fans in the corner between the Broomloan and Sandy Jardine Stands. Celtic responded in kind almost immediately. Sutton is right that it will have a huge impact on the Old Firm games, but Rangers and Celtic fans will be looking forward to a different kind of atmosphere now, with the home support set to be even more intimidating than before. From a neutral’s point of view it’s a shame – big games are at their best when both sets of fans are vocal – but Rangers are putting their fans first by ensuring that as many people can get season tickets as possible. It’s shaping up to be one of the best seasons for Scottish football in a long time and this isn’t really going to get in the way of that. You can see why Sutton thinks it’s hypocritical though.
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