Celtic supporters handed 7,500 tickets for Ibrox clash

Celtic fans are set to be handed the full Broomloan Stand for their Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.

Rangers are understood to have offered the traditional derby allocation in a bid to avoid handing out even more tickets to their rivals.

The decision will ensure about 7,500 Hoops fans are inside Ibrox for the cup tie on 8 March.

Scottish Cup rules state that away clubs have the right to claim up to 20% of tickets, which equates to about 10,000 fans at Ibrox.

Rules add that the area of the ground for away fans is agreed by both clubs and police and stadium safety laws are taken into account.

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill hinted his club would push for the full entitlement after the draw was made on 9 February.

It is understood both clubs were encouraged to revert to the long-standing agreement, which was torn up by Rangers in May 2018, to avoid a drawn-out dispute.

The Scottish Football Association could have referred the matter to its compliance officer if the impasse had continued and Rangers could have been made to hand out a bigger allocation.

The indications are that Rangers would also be given a similar number of tickets for any Scottish Cup ties at Celtic Park in future years.

Celtic fans traditionally filled the Broomloan Stand for decades but their allocation was slashed by Rangers to about 800 in May 2018.

There was a complete absence of away fans at the fixtures for a spell before both clubs last season introduced visiting allocations of about 5% with additional security arrangements introduced, including safety nets.

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