There will be no Rangers fans permitted to attend the Old Firm Derby at Celtic on December 30, due to a ticket dispute between the clubs. But why have there been no away fans at the Old Firm for two seasons?

As reported in the BBC, After several ticketing disputes over fan safety, Rangers away fans will not be present for the second Old Firm Derby of the 2023-24 season. This will not be the first Old Firm Derby that has not had away fans in attendance, as the most recent three games have all not featured away fans from both clubs due to a ticketing dispute over fan safety.

Rangers said in a statement released last week that despite winning a case with the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) that Celtic’s stance of providing away tickets was unreasonable, they were “extremely disappointed” that there would be no away fans in attendance due to the ongoing disagreement with Celtic. Rangers also stated they “want away fans from all clubs at our stadium and wish for that to be reciprocated when we travel to other clubs’ grounds”.

Despite a reported offer for 708 allocated away tickets, there were no Celtic fans in attendance at the September Old Firm Derby at Ibrox Park.

It has been reported that Rangers had offered 708 tickets to Celtic for their derby in September but was turned down by Celtic due to concerns over fan safety.

Both clubs have cited safety reasons for not allowing away fans at their home stadiums in 2023, but seem open to the possibility of future allocation for away fans in 2024 with a Celtic statement reading, “Celtic will continue to focus on the importance of safety and matchday experience issues as we look to address reasonable allocations at Celtic Park and Ibrox from next year, in a responsible manner”.