Sky Sports Scotland Has Invented “Incidents” At Celtic Park To Justify Ticket Decision.

Since the very first decision, taken by Ibrox, to cut the allocation of our supporters from 7000 to 700 the media has been describing it as it was something that came about because both clubs just couldn’t see eye to eye.

It was inevitable that this decision would be spun as one stemming from a point where they do agree.

It was equally inevitable that they would try to find a way to turn this issue – which is primarily about the safety of our club’s supporters – into the “plague on both your houses.”

And its Sky Sports Scotland who are out of the traps early on it.

Their article on the decision carries this remarkable assertion; this has happened “following incidents at recent meetings at both stadia.”

If you’re confused by that you aren’t alone.

What exactly were the incidents at Celtic Park to which this article is referring?

That’s a flagrantly dishonest claim. It does not stand up to the merest examination. This is about several incidents, going back at least two seasons, at Ibrox which have made it clear that the safety of our fans cannot be guaranteed there.

Hell, one of our backroom staff was hit by a bottle.

A prominent broadcast journalist has been effectively banned from their ground because, by the club’s own admission, it cannot guarantee his physical security.

The criminal act involving our official was perpetrated by a guy sitting in the corporate section; so too was the racist abuse recently shouted at Kyogo.

This is an ever escalating problem, and Celtic has done everything it can to find a resolution to this which restores the prior arrangements and makes the experience safer for all concerned.

It might sound paradoxical that handling a large crowd is easier in some ways than handling a small one, but the truth is that there is safety in numbers and fans were not subjected to this unacceptable level of risk when there were larger away allocations for these games.

Policing them has become a nightmare task, with both away supports having to traverse areas full of home fans.

Both sets of away supporters are practically surrounded at these fixtures which was never the case in the past.

The difference is that our security arrangements are right on and our fans have not been spoon-fed a decade of conspiracy theories and hatred … much of it from those in positions of responsibility inside their club.

Sky Sports Scotland has slandered Celtic with that suggestion, and it carries not one word of truth.

They have a duty either to defend it or retract it.

I cannot see how they can defend a fictitious claim so we’ll wait and see if they withdraw it instead.