Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill believes the club should reject Rangers’ offer of just 300 tickets for the upcoming Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.
The reduced allocation was confirmed by Rangers following safety concerns and pitch incursions during the recent Scottish Cup derby between the rivals.
Responding after Celtic’s victory over Falkirk, O’Neill expressed frustration at the tiny ticket count, suggesting it degrades the atmosphere of one of world football’s most iconic matches.
O’Neill argued that the fixture loses its special identity without a proper away support. He recalled watching previous derbies played in front of single-team crowds, noting how strange it felt to see a team score in total silence. While acknowledging that noise levels at Ibrox remain intense, he stressed that crowd participation from both sets of fans is what makes the match unique.
He stated that if Celtic are only offered 300 seats, he would prefer the club decline them entirely and offer Rangers just a single ticket for the return fixture.
When asked if Celtic executives might follow his suggestion, O’Neill admitted he did not know what decision the board would ultimately make, emphasizing that he was simply speaking from his own perspective as a fan of the fixture.