If away supporters are to return to the Old Firm this season, Celtic will have to give in to Rangers.

In order to reach a compromise, Parkhead will have to give in to the Ibrox club as Rangers and Celtic are apparently in talks on the attendance of away fans at the remaining Old Firm derbies this season.

This season, the Parkhead team has won both of the Scottish Premiership’s Old Firm matches; neither match has featured any away fans.

The problem originated when the Rangers reduced the Old Firm allotment from approximately 8000 seats to 750 back in 2018. The Parkhead side is adamant on seeing a return to the prior configuration.

However, since season tickets are being sold in the Broomloan Stand this campaign, there is no chance that this will occur, at least not this season.

The Rangers Celtic ticket scandal gets worse.

The situation deepened further when Celtic refused to take the standard away allocation briefs offered by Rangers at Ibrox earlier in the season.

Whilst Celtic have cited safety concerns over their supporters, the Parkhead side have also been pushing for the reinstatement of the previous allocation.

Celtic then failed to provide enough evidence in the face of an SPFL ruling which stated Rangers were entitled to have their own supporters at Parkhead in December’s Old Firm clash.

This locked Rangers fans out of Celtic Park with reports now suggesting the Old Firm are back in dialogue regarding the final two fixtures of the season.

But with Rangers having already sold the briefs to their own supporters, if Celtic are in anyway serious about allowing fans back in then they will need to cede to the Ibrox side this campaign.

The Old Firm fixture’s course was permanently changed.

In the meantime, the Rangers are still considering their alternatives for their own stadium. A little addition is in the works as part of an expanded singing section that will be located in the Copland for the upcoming season.

Rangers will be adding more wheelchair-accessible places to the Stadium as a result of the refurbishment.

The Ibrox club’s Ultras section was compelled to shift when the Parkhead side came to town, which was one of the main problems with Celtic’s allocation.

Later in the season, the Gers plan to test stationing Livingston supporters in the Ibrox Club Deck, however this isn’t thought to be a solution for Celtic fans who come to town.

It’s clear that a lack of away supporters has damaged the optics of the Old Firm derby and a solution is preferable for both Rangers and Celtic going forward.

But given that Rangers’ initial move to reduce the allocation permanently changed the course of this fixture, any idea that the former system might be restored seems misplaced.

It’s not just a Rangers decision, either; other Premiership teams quickly followed suit after Hibs initiated the practice in 2018 by limiting the number of Rangers supporters.

It seems that the days of Old Firm supporters ruling Scottish away venues are ended.

Regarding the Old Firm derby, the only way we’ll see a significant return of spectators is through a contemporary, forward-thinking approach that works for everyone.

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