The “news” this morning that we are “unwilling to budge” over our decision not to give the Ibrox club a single away ticket for Celtic Park is not really news, is it?
Why would we have changed our minds? Has there been some sudden outbreak of sanity on the other side of the city? Is our club being given the guarantees over safety that it wants?
The answer to those questions is no. Sanity has not fallen on Ibrox and nor do they take our concerns over safety any more seriously than they did when this standoff began. What’s more, the media still refuses to properly explore this issue and assign the blame where it belongs.
Most of the reports today claim that Celtic are refusing to budge from their current position; they never actually say what that position is. But it’s simple; we will give them what they give us. We are perfectly willing to go back to how things were prior to their disastrous decision to cut our allocation to the bone. Failing that, we just want fans to be safe.
Reports today say that the SPFL will step in. And do what?
They can fine Celtic but that’s about all they are going to be able to do. Celtic will pay that fine, shrug and move on. Anything else will spark the most furious counter-attacks from our club and, really, even the threat of that will be enough to forestall more serious action.
The SPFL has not wanted to get involved up until now. Celtic has tried to get them to intercede but actually what Ibrox and other clubs since have done is perfectly within the rules and there’s no enforcement of the regulations when it comes to the behaviour of fans … not until someone puts Strict Liability on the table for real. We’ll see if that happens.
But until something happens, we’re not shifting. Ibrox will stamp its feet, clowns in the media will scream that its all so unfair and the SPFL will posture and complain but this is about fan safety and we’re not going to budge until that issue is properly addressed.
The media is still behaving disgracefully.
They are acting as if we’re to blame for this, as if we’re now escalating this matter. Celtic has never behaved like that. Celtic has never acted out towards any other club. We are not the aggressor here, we are reacting to a situation not of our making, a situation we didn’t ask for and do not want.
And until this situation changes, markedly, in a way that we find acceptable, this is our policy. To respond to them as they treat us.
If they will not assure the safety of our fans we won’t be going to their ground, and if we’re not at their ground because they won’t keep us safe we won’t be permitting their fans to come to Celtic Park.
Keep them out until they restore the hole allocation
The spfl n sfa will collude to ibroxs benefit and they will demand Celtic give rangers an allocation,that one action will embolden the Ibrox hordes
The last sentence sums the situation up perfectly. It is as simple as that.
You’ll have noticed that the initiator clumpany of the ‘ reduced attendance of Celtic fans ‘ – the Rangers – had it’s dire outlook AGM today and needed a deflection story to help with the aftermath ? How convenient of the SMSM to oblige with this rather helpful squirrel tale . Isn’t it a disgrace Mr Lawwell that Celtic FC is now being blamed for this ridiculous discord when another entity caused the the entire matter ?
100% correct If our board cave into them I wouldn’t like to see the outcome of that scenario
The media can twist it all they want In fact I would go further and slash the amount of tickets we give to ALL teams who are reducing their allocation to us
Personally, I would be delighted if no Huns ever set foot in Paradise again. Apart from the match day officials, obviously.
Hail Hail.
Not for the first time a Sevco chairman has been unable to stomach the Celtic fans celebrating,and when Sevco admitted they had a security issue stating they were unable to guarantee the safety of 2 pundits then we did the right thing by refusing an allocation from them.
Liddell the Tory bastard that he is continually tells us that the board are working behind the scene on all problems that are Celtic related .A COMPLETE LOAD OF ABSOLUTE PISH.
Even if Sevco gave us 8’000 tickets (the normal allocation) I would still give them 0,nada, zilch tickets due to the danger fans being capable of anarchy where ever they go. Hell fxxxxxg mend them.
Since it seems that clubs can allocate whichever number that suits them, probably to keep within some unknown ruling, Celtic should just allocate one ticket. That`s if there is anyone among them that can squeeze into one seat.
Celtic better not back down over this. If the Green Brigade aren’t getting in neither are those scumbags.