Scott Brown yesterday spoke of his disappointment that Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox between the Rangers and Celtic is to be played with no away support at the game.
That’s due principally to the mask thugs within the home support and the failure of the latest Ibrox club to properly manage their stadium with an sizeable away allocation present…
8th March 2026; Ibrox Scottish Cup, Rangers versus Celtic; Rangers fans on the pitch. Photo Vagelis GeorgariouA sizeable away allocation worked well at Ibrox and Celtic Park for decades
Say what you like about the old Rangers but they knew home to handle these games and the two Glasgow clubs pretty much always maintained the sizeable ticket allocation for the away club at both Ibrox and Celtic Park.
Walter Smith is unveiled by David Murray as the new Rangers manager, at their Murray Park training ground on January 10, 2007. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
David Murray did a bit of grandstanding in the 1990s by banning the Celtic support from a match at Ibrox due to some broke seats. Not that it worked out too well for the man who ultimately would go onto destroy Rangers.
Toilets trashed at Celtic Park in September 2016
When the reformed Rangers, following the liquidation of the old club, made their way up through the divisions to reach the Scottish Premiership for the first time, they came to Celtic Park a decade ago yesterday, asCeltic Park toilets destroyed by Rangers fans in 2016
Celtic Park toilets destroyed by Rangers fans in 2016
Celtic Park toilets destroyed by Rangers fans in 2016
It should have been abundantly clear after that to Celtic that they were dealing with a very different animal. They penny eventually dropped and Celtic now are playing an away cup tie – disgracefully – away from home with no supporters present mainly due to the failures of the current Ibrox club to stage the fixture and allowing their mask thugs carte blanche to act as they like inside their stadium and on their pitch.
Scottish FA’s punishment
Celtic have had a £100k fine imposed and will have to play their next Scottish Cup home tie behind closed doors, widening the punishment to tens of thousands of Celtic season ticket holders who were nowhere near Ibrox back in March 2026 when the Rangers fans entered the pitch wearing masked and armed with weapons and flares to attack celebrating Celtic supporters – who should NOT have been on the pitch.
9th September 2026; McDiarmid Park, Scottish Premiership St Johnstone versus Celtic; Scott Brown chats to the Celtic coach Stephen McManus. Photo Vagelis Georgariou
Scott Brown yesterday reflected on this ban at a Premier Sports mainstream media event to promote Sunday’s abomination of a football match.
“I understand why, but it’s disappointing not to see the 8,000 fans that we used to get because the atmosphere was brilliant and there wasn’t that much trouble back when I played,” the former Celtic captain stated, as reported by Martin O’Neill at McDiarmid Park. 9th September 2026; McDiarmid Park, Perth, Scottish Premiership St Johnstone versus Celtic; Photo Vagelis GeorgariouCeltic manager said club would be better taking no tickets that the 300 offered
Martin O’Neill was first to respond for the club saying they Celtic may as well not take any rather than accept 300 tickets for a game that the authorities believe the Rangers are currently incapable of staging properly with the traditional allocation, as per the recent indecent report into the Scottish Cup quarter final last season that could easily have ended in disaster.
Indeed one Celtic supporter who was attacked by Ibrox thugs after the match while boarding a supporters bus was lucky not to be killed.
Celtic really should make it clear that the next time Celtic are drawn at home to an Ibrox there will be zero away fans allowed at Celtic Park, even if by that time the full allocation is restored.
8th March 2026 Ibrox , Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Rangers versus Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou
Celtic should have enough to win the match regardless but it’s a cup-tie and anything can happen. Should we be unsuccessful a victory for the Rangers will be TAINTED.
Watch below Scott Brown speaking to the mainstream media yesterday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup tie at Ibrox which will be played with zero away supporters present…
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