Brendan Rodgers has made it crystal clear that the recent lockout of away fans in Glasgow derbies was never a Celtic issue—insisting that the club has handled the situation well as away allocations return for the final two derbies of the season.
Rangers initially cut Celtic’s allocation at Ibrox in 2018, reducing it from 7,500 to just 800, and Celtic responded in kind. This led to away fans being completely removed from the fixture this season—until both clubs finally agreed to restore allocations to around 4% of stadium capacity.
Fans could’ve been back for both games that have already been played this season, but Rangers hadn’t taken the necessary safety precautions which both sides agreed on, and Celtic weren’t taking their chances, so suspended the agreement.
Rodgers made sure to set the record straight and wasn’t keen to take credit for the increased allocation: [Celtic TV]
“No, no, no. Listen, this is all the club. The club have dealt with it really well. Like I’ve said before, this wasn’t a Celtic thing. This was something that, sadly, was out of our control at the beginning of it all. But thankfully now, both clubs have come together, and it’s been Michael (Nicholson) and the people behind the scenes that have dealt with it. And, yes, it’s great for us involved in the game.”
Celtic will host the next derby at Parkhead on March 16, before heading to Ibrox post-split. Over 2,000 away fans are expected at both fixtures—far better than the previous 800-900 allocations in recent years.
Callum McGregor has already welcomed the change, but has also expressed his desire to return to the pre-2018 numbers of 7,500 away fans per game, believing it would improve the fixture’s atmosphere and spectacle.
