Aberdeen Insider reveals club's Hampden Park allocation vs Rangers could be slashed by SPFL
That is according to former Dons chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes a ticket reduction is the most likely punishment for the fans’ recent pitch invasion against Kilmarnock.
Travelling Aberdeen fans spilled onto the pitch at Rugby Park after Stephen Robinson’s side secured their progression from the quarter-final after a penalty shootout, with the SPFL currently investigating the post-match scenes.
Wyness believes that his former club are in line to have their allocation hit by the authorities, after the same punishment was handed out to both Rangers and Celtic last year.
Aberdeen’s ticket sales for their semi-final clash are set to commence on 23 September, while the club have also revealed that their request for an equal split of Hampden’s 51,000 capacity has been rejected.
However, Wyness has warned that their allocation could yet be cut further if the SPFL decide that their fans need to be taught a lesson.
Aberdeen to face ‘lenient’ punishment
Aberdeen’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs – believes that a cut to their semi-final allocation would be a “lenient” punishment for his former club.
The Scottish businessman believes that the pitch invasion by the Dons fans was not “violent,” unlike some of the scenes seen in games between Rangers and Celtic last season.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness outlined that the SPFL aren’t likely to come down hard on Aberdeen.
“This was a result of a penalty shootout in the cup match that Aberdeen managed to win, and the fans went over the top,” he said.
“As I understand it, they've got a semi-final at Hamden coming up where they probably may lose up to 500 tickets. That's going to be something that would upset the fans, but it's their own fault.
“I don't think there were any particular violent confrontations or people hurt or anything like that. It wasn't as aggressive as the Celtic and Rangers confrontation that we saw at the end of last season. So I think it'll probably be on the more lenient side.
“Scottish football fans suddenly seem to have splurged up again for some reason, and it's a shame because we've got enough problems without having to worry about these sorts of things as well.
“The game needs to grow, and this isn't the way to advertise it properly, so please just go and support the team as best you can, but let’s see if we can stay off the pitch.”
Derek McInnes expected to name strong team vs Aberdeen
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Rangers’ quarter-final win over Celtic has “guaranteed” Derek McInnes’ immediate future as their manager.
The former Dons boss has recently made it clear that the Gers need to become more of a presence when it comes to winning domestic trophies.
With that in mind, the Ibrox outfit are expected to line up with an XI resembling their first-choice team for their semi-final clash with Aberdeen, rather than rotating in order to prioritise their league campaign.
It will be a big occasion for both sides at Hampden, and Aberdeen will be desperate to upset McInnes and his men.