Celtic supporters who chose to boycott the club at the weekend should find themselves at the back of the queue for Scottish Cup tickets at Ibrox. That is the blunt opinion of Tam McManus, who believes the allocation system should reward those who actually turned up.
Thousands of fans stayed away from Parkhead on Saturday night as a protest against the board, with Celtic edging into the quarter-finals thanks to a dramatic 2-1 comeback against Dundee. Martin O’Neill’s side looked set for an early exit until deadline-day signing Junior Adamu struck with the final touch of normal time to force extra-time.
Sebastian Tounekti then completed the turnaround by scoring the winner, booking a mouthwatering last-eight clash with Rangers. Demand for tickets has since exploded, with Celtic eager to reclaim the full Broomloan Stand and restore the traditional allocation of around 7,000 away supporters.
Scottish Cup regulations allow visiting clubs to request up to 20 percent of a stadium’s capacity, and Celtic are keen to fill the stand in green and white for the first time since 2018, when Rangers ended the long-running ticket arrangement between the two clubs.
However, with just over 24,000 fans in attendance for the tense win over Dundee, McManus feels the ballot for the early March showdown in Govan should favour those who backed the team rather than those who stayed away.
Speaking on PLZ, the former Hibernian striker said with a hint of humour: “I can’t wait to see that stand full. If everyone sticks to their protest, there might only be a thousand Celtic fans there.
“It’ll be interesting to see how many suddenly want tickets now. The supporters who were inside Celtic Park against Dundee should be first in line. They’re the hardcore.”
Former Scotland goalkeeper Alan Rough echoed that view, suggesting some fans could regret their stance if tickets are handed elsewhere. “Those protesting might feel a bit aggrieved if the club decides to prioritise others,” he said.
While Scottish Cup rules could theoretically allow Celtic to ask for closer to 11,000 tickets, ex-Rangers midfielder Alex Rae believes that would never happen. “They’ll get the Broomloan,” he said. “Anything more than that becomes a segregation problem.”