Rangers’ ticket refusal and Celtic’s conditions have escalated the Old Firm ultras feud, with the SPFL set to decide away-fan access.
Glasgow’s biggest rivalry is entering its final league sprint, yet the noise off the pitch has grown louder than anything on it.
The focus is the ultras stand-off between Celtic and Rangers. triggered by a ticket dispute that now threatens to shape how the final Old Firm of the season is experienced.. Celtic’s Green Brigade are back at Celtic Park after a lengthy expulsion. while Rangers have turned down their ticket allocation for the May 10 match at Parkhead because of the stipulation that “briefs” cannot be sold to the Union Bears.. Misryoum understands the situation is messy enough that an SPFL sub-committee is set to decide how many away fans. if any. can attend.
This is not a minor administration problem.. At a time when both clubs will be measuring every point. the prospect of further restrictions makes the rivalry feel smaller instead of bigger.. Ultras can create atmosphere that casual fans notice and broadcast audiences remember. but they only deliver that value when clubs. police and competition organisers can trust that lines will be respected.. Once trust breaks down, everything becomes harder: ticketing, stewarding, policing and ultimately the emotional tone of matchday.
The wider concern is that the issue refuses to stay contained.. Misryoum readers will see the pattern: a dispute at one fixture becomes a platform for retaliation at the next. while the regular supporters—who simply want to follow their team—get caught inside decisions made around the most disruptive elements.. In March’s Glasgow clashes at Ibrox, the fallout carried a tone that should alarm anyone connected to Scottish football.
What happened at Ibrox during the Scottish Cup clash earlier this season has no place in modern grounds.. Misryoum recognises that football is emotional, but the pitch should not become a playground after a penalty shoot-out.. Celtic’s interim chairman Brian Wilson’s public defence of the celebrations on the field—framed as a euphoric response—did not land with the urgency the moment required.. The bigger issue is simple: the comfort of tradition cannot override basic safety.. If fans storm the pitch. it risks injury to players. stewards and supporters. and it also invites escalation from the other side.
Rangers ultras’ response was also condemned for reasons that go beyond chants and confrontations in the stands.. Reports of police officers and a member of Celtic’s backroom staff allegedly being attacked on the pitch are exactly the sort of behaviour that turns rivalry into danger.. Flare throwing and disorder are not “colour”; they are liabilities.. And when ultras appear to have gained access to tickets after being locked out at Celtic Park. it sends a signal that rules can be bypassed—something that inevitably hardens positions rather than cooling them.
Why the ticket spat matters more than the next derby
The policing debate is only half the story
Clubs don’t only control ticketing rules; they also set culture.. If Celtic and Rangers continue to treat ultras as untouchable—always present. always influential. always capable of claiming legitimacy after incidents—then every new episode becomes easier to justify internally.. The better approach is stricter codes of conduct that are clear in advance. enforced consistently. and backed by consequences that supporters can see.
A future without travelling support would be a failure
There are still only a handful of league games left. and both clubs will need unity from their fanbases as much as they need results on the pitch.. But unity cannot be built on exceptions for the most reckless individuals.. Both clubs share responsibility for reducing incentives for confrontation and for making it visibly clear that breaking the rules will cost something meaningful.
The independent review by Mark Blackbourne on the pitch invasions and disorder is likely to add more detail. and it will be followed by reactions.. Yet the key question for Misryoum’s editorial team is how Celtic and Rangers translate findings into action—because the next derby should be about the teams. not about whether the atmosphere is being engineered through conflict.
If clubs want ultras to create occasion rather than chaos, they must act as though the end of the season is a deadline—not a postponement. Otherwise, the spiral will not stop at May 10. It will define the rivalry going forward.