Keith Wyness drops strong verdict on SFA banning Celtic and Rangers fans
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes the governing body were left with no choice but to take serious action.
Both clubs had previously agreed that an away ticket allocation of five per cent would be in place for all SPFL games at both Parkhead and Ibrox.
The on-pitch clashes between fans after their Scottish Cup clash in March forced an independent review, with those arrangements then reconsidered as the SFA stepped in to ban all fans.
Rangers host Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday, 13 September, and the teams then meet at Parkhead in the league a week later.
Old Firm away fans had to banned after 'volatile' scenes
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the scenes in March were unsavoury and sanctions had to be put in place.
Former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett exclusively revealed to Football Insider last month that Police Scotland were ready to ban Celtic fans from Ibrox for their upcoming cup clash.
The SFA saw fit to do that and more, to the dismay of fans from both sides, Martin O'Neill and Derek McInnes.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained: “Those scenes were pretty poor when both sets of fans invaded the pitch. You can’t have that in the Old Firm game because it’s already too volatile. Steps have had to be taken and things have had to be put back into the place. I’ve got to agree that it was the right decision.”
What have O'Neill and McInnes said about fans being banned?
Celtic enter their cup clash this weekend as favourites, but Rangers will know that the lack of away fans should give them a boost on the pitch.
The same can be said vice versa for their league match-up a week later, but both bosses are upset at the verdict.
Speaking last week, O'Neill said: "(It's) really sad, I must admit, just from a normal punter's viewpoint. It's a great, great fixture when the ground is absolutely full. And I think the away fans make this. I can think back to the years gone past, at the beginning of the century, when I was involved, and they were magnificent fixtures, absolutely fantastic. It is quite sad."
While McInnes also condemned the decision, saying: "Obviously it's disappointing. It's always better when opposition fans are allowed into a derby game, there's still got to be behaviours met and obviously that's the decision that's been made. Generally speaking, I think it's always better, in any fixture, in any game, if your supporters are there to be able to watch your team."