The Celtic boss believes there will be long-term consequences for both sets of fans
Martin O’Neill fears the return of large away allocations in matches between Celtic and Rangers could be lost again following the crowd trouble that marred their recent Scottish Cup meeting.
Chaos broke out after Celtic’s quarter-final victory on penalties at Ibrox, when supporters from both sides entered the pitch. Police confirmed that nine arrests had been made in the aftermath of the match.
The fixture was the first Old Firm clash since 2018 to feature a full away allocation of around 7,500 supporters. In recent years the number of visiting fans allowed into the stadiums has fluctuated due to crowd problems.
O’Neill said he had long supported the return of larger away crowds because of the atmosphere they create.
“I was a really big advocate, from a distance, of feeling that without away fans, without the full allocation of away fans, I thought the Old Firm game, still a fantastic fixture, had lost some of its lustre,” he said.
“I thought the noise emanating from Ibrox, both last Sunday and the Sunday before that, even though we’d only 2,500 people, was something I have not heard for a long, long time.”
“Maybe Celtic playing Liverpool way back in 2003, have I heard a noise emanating from a stadium like that.”
“So, there’s something really magical about it and I’m really, obviously, quite saddened by the events. Saddened seems almost like you’re minimising or downplaying things.”
“But overall it’s a shame because I think the things that I was hoping that would happen, and happened for a long time, may now not happen anymore.”
The end of large crowds at Old Firm?
Away allocations at Old Firm matches have been a contentious issue for several years. When the clubs met in the Scottish Premiership the week before the cup tie, only around 2,500 away supporters were present at Ibrox.
Another league meeting between the sides is still scheduled to take place later this season at Celtic Park, which has a capacity of roughly 60,000. The most recent encounter there in January saw just under 2,400 Rangers supporters in attendance.
O’Neill recalled the atmosphere during his first spell managing Celtic between 2000 and 2005, when visiting allocations at Ibrox were similar to the numbers seen in the recent cup tie.
“I would love if there was a serious consideration to be looking at these particular things, what happened, what could have been avoided, but I honestly think that in terms of atmosphere, there was nothing like it,” he said.
“And I’m talking about going there to a hostile atmosphere at Ibrox, where you actually, perversely, get some sort of intoxicated joy from it. Joy might be too strong a word, but it really was amazing.”
However, he acknowledged the concerns around safety and policing large travelling supports at such high-profile fixtures.
“People are going to look at it and say 7,000 people at Ibrox or Celtic Park just cannot be policed.”
“I don’t know the answer, but I still think something would be seriously lost again if that atmosphere throughout the game is anything to go by.”
