Kieran Maguire gutted by what Celtic have done to Rangers
It is a ‘disappointment’ that Celtic have rejected Rangers’ offer of 708 tickets for the upcoming Old Firm Derby.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the ongoing ticket dispute between the two Glasgow giants.
There is set to be no Celtic fans present at Ibrox for the upcoming all-Glasgow clash on 3rd September.
Rangers offered their cross-city rivals 708 away tickets, but Celtic rejected the offer citing safety reasons.
Both matches took place last season without away fans following a number of incidents in previous clashes between the sides.
Sky Sports reports that Rangers are still expecting an away allocation to be granted to them for the return fixture at Parkhead in December.
Maguire explained that the ‘strange’ situation reflects the tribal nature of Scotland’s fiercest rivalry.
“There are two elements to consider when allocating tickets, one of which is safety and the other which is having competitive tension at the match,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“It would appear that Celtic have overridden the desire of their fans to attend the match voicing safety concerns.
“I think that is a disappointment.
“Other competitive teams can find it within them to allocate support to away teams and provide security so it does seem strange.
“Perhaps that reflects the extreme tribal nature of the two fanbases.
“Although it could be argued that it is the same elsewhere in London and between the likes of Manchester and Leeds.
“The Premier League seems to be far ahead here by guaranteeing 3,000 tickets to away fans.“
In other news, Celtic are now best placed to sign Kieran Tierney in sensational deal