Celtic still have tickets available for tomorrow night’s Champions League play-off first leg against FC Kairat Almaty – an unusual sight for a European night under the lights at Parkhead.
Sections 118, 119 and 121 remain on sale, with seats lingering despite the fixture having been on general sale for almost five days. Normally, a tie of this magnitude would have been snapped up instantly once released.
Tickets are still on sale here.
You’d expect Celtic Park to sell out before kick-off, but the slow uptake raises questions. High ticket costs (£39 an adult), combined with simmering dissatisfaction among supporters, appear to have dampened demand. Frustration at the lack of transfer activity is one obvious factor, but recent changes to stadium security measures have also struck a nerve.
Metal gates were erected around sections of the ground on Friday night against Falkirk as the club attempts to clamp down on so-called “fan migration” towards the standing section. Many fans labelled the measures heavy-handed and farcical, leading to further tension between the support and the board.
Tomorrow night remains a huge occasion, but the empty seats currently on sale tell their own story. For a fanbase that has rarely needed an excuse to pack out Celtic Park for Europe, it’s clear that off-field frustrations are beginning to spill into matchday life.
