NafisaCeltic supporters have been given another reason to feel frustrated after the Hoops were handed an away trip to Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals.
The draw itself was always going to generate enormous interest.
An Old Firm meeting at Ibrox is one of the biggest fixtures Scottish football can produce, and with both clubs now preparing for a potentially explosive September, anticipation around the tie has already begun to build.
But while supporters were initially focused on the football, attention has quickly shifted towards something happening away from the pitch.
And it concerns the number of Celtic supporters who could actually be inside Ibrox when the two sides meet.
The issue has already started a heated debate among supporters, particularly because of what happened the last time Celtic travelled to Ibrox for a domestic cup tie.
Celtic supporters remember the last Ibrox cup allocation
When Celtic visited Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final last season, the Hoops were handed a much larger allocation than supporters have become accustomed to receiving for Old Firm fixtures.
Around 8,000 Celtic fans packed into the Broomloan Stand for that meeting after the clubs agreed to restore the full away allocation.
That was possible because the Scottish Cup regulations allow visiting clubs to claim up to 20 per cent of the available capacity.
Celtic supporters therefore know exactly what an Ibrox Old Firm cup tie can look like when a sizeable away allocation is provided.
But there is a crucial difference this time.
The upcoming match is a League Cup quarter-final, and the rules are not the same.
The rule that changes everything
The SPFL’s League Cup regulations do not contain an equivalent provision guaranteeing an away club 20 per cent of the stadium.
That means Celtic cannot simply demand the same sort of allocation they received for last season’s Scottish Cup clash.
The regulations governing admission arrangements specify complimentary tickets for visiting clubs, including 10 tickets for the Directors’ Box and 40 for the stand, but there is no equivalent fixed percentage for travelling supporters.
That has immediately raised the possibility that the number of Celtic fans attending could be dramatically lower than the 8,000 who crossed Glasgow for the previous cup meeting.
And that is where the anger has started.
Celtic could be looking at a much smaller allocation
The expectation among some supporters is that the eventual arrangement could resemble the clubs’ normal league allocation rather than the huge Scottish Cup allocation.
That would mean something in the region of 2,500 Celtic supporters potentially travelling to Ibrox.
Importantly, however, that figure should not be treated as officially confirmed at this stage.
The precise allocation still needs to be agreed between the clubs.
But the prospect alone has been enough to leave Celtic supporters questioning why the rules allow such a dramatic difference between two domestic cup competitions.
For fans who remember seeing thousands of Hoops supporters fill the Broomloan Stand last season, the possibility of returning with only a fraction of that support is naturally frustrating.
The previous Old Firm clash adds another layer
There is also a difficult recent history surrounding the previous Scottish Cup meeting.
The game ended with Celtic progressing after a penalty shootout, but the scenes that followed the final whistle overshadowed much of the football.
Supporters from both sides entered the pitch, objects and pyrotechnics were thrown, police officers were injured and a member of Celtic’s coaching staff was assaulted.
Both clubs subsequently faced disciplinary consequences.
That incident is likely to be part of the wider conversation when the ticketing arrangements for September are finalised.
It could also make the clubs particularly cautious about how supporters are accommodated inside the stadium.
Rangers have home advantage — and Celtic fans are unhappy
The fact that Rangers will host the quarter-final makes the situation even more sensitive.
Celtic supporters will understandably point out that they are already being asked to travel across the city for one of the most important matches of the domestic season.
If the allocation ends up being significantly smaller than the one they received for the Scottish Cup, some fans will feel they are being denied the opportunity to support their team in numbers.
And because the two clubs meet again at Celtic Park just eight days later in the Premiership, the ticketing issue could become one of the first major talking points surrounding a September packed with Old Firm football.
Two derbies in eight days
The League Cup quarter-final is scheduled for the weekend of 12/13 September, with Rangers hosting Celtic.
Just eight days later, the sides are scheduled to meet again at Celtic Park in the league.
That means supporters on both sides are already preparing for an extraordinary period of Old Firm football.
But before either manager worries about tactics, formations or team selection, there is another battle to settle.
How many Celtic supporters will actually be allowed into Ibrox?
For now, there is no confirmed final number.
The League Cup regulations do not provide Celtic with the 20 per cent entitlement they had under the Scottish Cup rules, meaning the clubs will have to establish the arrangements for this particular fixture.
And if the eventual figure does settle around the expected 2,500 mark, it is safe to say the ticket allocation itself could become almost as controversial as the Old Firm clash on the pitch.
Nafisa
