Celtic will be travelling to Hampden Park for the Scottish Cup Semi-Final against Aberdeen on April 20th, with many fans still hunting for tickets.
Aberdeen’s inability to sell their allocated 19,000 tickets, with sales hovering around 7,000 so far, has brought an awkward spotlight back onto their initial statement regarding ticket allocation.
Aberdeen had boldly requested a 50/50 split of the tickets, a proposition based on optimism and perhaps a degree of ambition to match Celtic’s formidable fan presence. However, the reality of their ticket sales failing to meet expectations suggests a miscalculation of demand among their own supporters.
With several sections still locked and potentially to be returned to Celtic. B5-B8 is locked in the North West Corner. Sections N1-N4 and M1-M4 in the south stand upper tier are also not on sale. [Aberdeen Ticket Website]
The Dons’ statement at the time of ticket release emphasised their disappointment at not being granted a larger share, citing past precedents and expressing hope for a fair distribution based on actual sales closer to the match date.
It read: “We can now confirm the kick-off time, ticket pricing and allocation for the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Semi-Final with Celtic at Hampden.
“The match will take place on Saturday 20th April with a 12.30pm kick-off and will be televised live on both Viaplay and BBC Scotland.
“The Club requested the opportunity to sell up to 50% of the tickets, with any unsold tickets by an agreed date being allocated to our opponents. Disappointingly, this has once again been declined based primarily on historical ticket sales at this stage of the competition.
“As a result, the Aberdeen allocation for this match will be for up to 19,000 tickets, almost identical to the Viaplay Cup Final in December, split between the South Stand and West Stand, depending on demand.”
For Celtic fans, many of whom missed out on initial ticket allocations, the prospect of additional tickets becoming available offers a silver lining.
As the match approaches, Aberdeen may indeed see a late surge in ticket sales, potentially spurred by the appointment of a new manager or a rallying call to the fans. However, the likelihood of returning unsold tickets to Celtic looms large, serving as an uncomfortable reflection on the initial statement and the optimistic expectations it represented.
