Martin O’Neill expresses deep concern that substantial away fan allocations for Celtic-Rangers derbies could disappear permanently following violent incidents at Ibrox.

Ugly Scenes Mar Scottish Cup Clash

Ugly scenes disrupted the aftermath of Celtic’s Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over Rangers on penalties at Ibrox on Sunday. Spectators invaded the pitch, leading to nine arrests by Monday. This marked the first Old Firm meeting since 2018 with around 7,500 away supporters, far exceeding recent league allocations of 800, 2,500, or none at all.

The larger crowd stemmed from Scottish Cup regulations. Recent cup ties between the clubs occurred as semi-finals or finals at Hampden Park. In the prior league encounter at Ibrox, a 2-2 draw, about 2,500 Celtic fans attended among 50,000 spectators. Rangers face another trip to Celtic Park’s 60,000-capacity stadium later this season, where nearly 2,400 Rangers supporters showed up in January.

O’Neill Champions Full Away Support

Martin O’Neill, who managed Celtic from 2000 to 2005 and secured seven trophies including three league titles, strongly supported restoring full away allocations. “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,” O’Neill stated.

He praised the electric atmosphere at recent matches. “And 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.”

O’Neill described the experience as magical yet lamented the fallout. “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.”

Sunday’s Celtic allocation mirrored away crowds during O’Neill’s successful tenure at Ibrox derbies. He urged thorough review of the incidents while highlighting the unique thrill. “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 added.

O’Neill relished the hostile environment. “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.”

Concerns persist over policing large groups of 7,000 at Ibrox or Celtic Park, though O’Neill warns that curtailing allocations would diminish the fixture’s vibrancy based on the recent atmosphere.