Soccer-No away fans at Old Firm matches for rest of the season, says SPFL

Scottish champions Celtic and arch-rivals Rangers have agreed that ​no away supporters will attend matches between the ​two teams in Scottish Professional Football League ‌competitions ​for the rest of the season, the SPFL said on Friday.

The temporary arrangement follows an independent Scottish FA review of events surrounding the Scottish Cup quarter-final ‌between the sides at Ibrox stadium on March 8 and subsequent talks involving the SPFL, both clubs and Police Scotland. The match was marred by a pitch invasion and clashes between rival supporters after Celtic won a penalty shootout following ‌a goalless stalemate, with fireworks thrown while police officers and stewards formed a barrier between the two groups ‌to regain order as players hurried off the field.

"From a normal fan's viewpoint, it's really quite sad," Celtic manager Martin O'Neill told Sky Sports. "I must admit, it's one of the most phenomenal fixtures in European football, if not the world. And despite the calibre of ⁠the ​teams, it's just a mouth-watering ⁠fixture.

Rangers and Celtic had previously agreed to give visiting fans an allocation of 5% of available capacity at both grounds. Rangers proposed a smaller ⁠allocation for the Scottish League Cup quarter-final on September 13 after assessing the circumstances and risks surrounding the fixture. Celtic rejected ​that proposal and asked the SPFL to make a determination.

Following further discussions, both clubs and the league ⁠agreed to exclude away supporters while they consider the review’s findings and recommendations and allow more time to plan future fixtures. "Generally speaking it's ⁠always ​better in any fixture if your supporters are there to be able to watch your team, but obviously in the context of everything that's gone on with this fixture there's a lot to consider and ⁠a lot to discuss," Rangers manager Derek McInnes said.

Safety and security remains the priority, the SPFL said, adding that ⁠the arrangement could be reviewed ⁠if circumstances changed materially during the season. Dating back to 1888, the Old Firm derby is one of the oldest and most intense rivalries in world football and has ‌historically been shaped ‌by political and religious division.