Away fan derby lockout caused by one club and it’s certainly not Celtic | OneFootball

Away fan Glasgow Derby lockout has been caused by one club and one club only, and it’s certainly not Celtic…

8th March 2026 Ibrox , Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Rangers versus Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

On Friday it was confirmed by the SPFL that the four Scottish Premiership Glasgow Derby matches plus the Premier Sports Cup quarter final at Ibrox between the Ranger and Celtic will all be played with no away supporters in attendance.

After the latest Ibrox club offering Celtic a measly 300 ticket allocation for the upcoming Premier Sports Cup quarter final tie at Ibrox, Celtic rejected that answer took the matter to the SPFL, who handle both the League Cup and Scottish Premiership games.

8th March 2026 Ibrox , Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Rangers versus Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

And they decided that in the absence of any agreement that a blanket ban on away briefs will be introduced for the upcoming campaign to include all Glasgow derby matches in their two competitions.

An SPFL statement, released on Friday,  explained the reasoning behind the decision: “This temporary arrangement will allow both clubs, together with the SPFL, Police Scotland and other relevant stakeholders, to give proper consideration to the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review, take forward the necessary actions and ensure sufficient time is available to plan future fixtures thoroughly.

“It will also provide greater certainty for supporters and those involved in matchday planning, while avoiding repeated uncertainty around ticketing arrangements for individual fixtures.

“All parties have committed to working constructively during this period, with safety and security remaining the priority. The position will remain subject to review should circumstances materially change during the season. Arrangements for matches between the clubs beyond the current season will be considered well in advance of the 2027/28 season.”

The away ban has been attributed to the recent unruly scenes witnessed at Ibrox last March in the aftermath of the dramatic Scottish cup quarter final tie that saw Celtic win on penalty kicks.

8th March 2026; Ibrox Scottish Cup, Rangers versus Celtic; Celtic fans throw ticker tape before kick off. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Enraged by the Celtic supporters jubilant celebrations with the victorious players on the Ibrox pitch, the balaclava wearing Ibrox thugs, many carrying weapons,  invaded the field, and angrily made a beeline for the Celtic supporters at the opposite end, assaulting stewards and police officers, as well as a member of Celtic’s coaching staff on the way to launching a scathing and premeditated attack on the celebrating Celtic supporters.

Pyrotechnics were even fired into the Celtic stand by the thuggish Ibrox ultras, who were then to everyone’s astonishment escorted off the pitch by the police.

8th March 2026 Ibrox , Scottish Cup, Rangers versus Celtic Celtic fans wait at the police cordon. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Remarkably, both sides were punished for the actions of the home support, with the punishment of playing their next Scottish Cup home tie behind closed doors being imposed on both clubs. Many of the issues discussed in the recent independent reported were related to the home club’s planning for and handling of such a high profile match and clearly they came up short in so many ways.

Scottish Cup, Rangers versus Celtic; Celtic fans huddle. 8th March 2026. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Yet Celtic quite remarkably has been punished in exactly the same manner by the Scottish FA despite Celtic raising concerns with the latest Ibrox club and Police Scotland ahead of the match.  Here’s a summary of an excellent response to SFA punishment by Jim McGinley, a Celtic supporter.

“The detailed SFA punishment and the reasons for it, completely ignores three things. 

First is the findings of the SFA commissioned report into the incident itself. 

Second is the fact that Celtic (a) provided specific recommendations to Rangers FC prior to a meeting of the clubs and specifically pointed out that safety and stewarding arrangements were not up to standard and needed improving and (b) those recommendations and comments were ignored and Celtic were de facto excluded from subsequent meetings with the police. 

Thirdly, the independent investigation is aware of points one and two above, specifically comments on them, and stresses that the primary responsibility for crows and pitch safety lies with the home club. 

The report also differentiates between the type and class of behaviour exhibited by the two sets of fans, making it plain that one was threatening and indeed violent whilst the other was not. 

In these circumstances, treating both clubs the same way is hardly the correct act of a supposedly judicial body, demonstrates a complete inability to administer a reasoned judicial process, and results in a completely unjust and frankly unlawful result.”

Hard to argue with any of that. It’s currently unclear whether Celtic intend to appeal the Scottish FA’s punishment or not but they certainly should.

8th March 2026; Ibrox Scottish Cup Football, Rangers versus Celtic; Rangers fans with flares. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

The events at Ibrox in back March has undoubtedly been a major factor in the decision to deny away supporters the chance of watching their side in action on Glasgow Derby day this season. Time after time Celtic players, supporters and staff members have been attacked, assaulted and abused at Ibrox – with zero punishment dished out by the authorities.

So it has to be said, much like the past allocation ticket reductions and lock outs, the fault lies solely at the door of one club, and one club only and it’s certainly NOT Celtic.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…

Celtic Shorts is the new home for the team from The Celtic Star

NEW FROM CELTIC STAR BOOKS…Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, available now…

Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr. Both Volumes out now. Order at celticstarbooks.com

Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, both published on 4th September 2026 by Celtic Star Books. Click on image to order.

Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!

Click to join Celtic Pools