Rangers head coach Danny Rolle has called on everyone to take responsibility for protecting the presence of away fans in the derby against Celtic amid concerns over allocation following Sunday’s pitch invasion at Ibrox.
SFA continues investigation into Rangers vs Celtic aftermath
However, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill believes there is no reason to affect Rangers’ allocation for the next league game at Parkhead.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) and police are investigating the scene following Celtic’s penalty shoot-out victory, and a number of arrests have been made.
Police Scotland has already said it will oppose a repeat allocation of 7,500 seats to away fans, and Mr Roll fears more serious consequences.
“The emotional part of the game was great,” he said. “I like having supporters from both sides of the Old Firm like this, I think it’s great.
“This makes football more exciting and the atmosphere in the stadium better. We all have a responsibility to keep this going.”
Asked if there would be no away fans for the game against Rangers at Celtic Park after the league split, the German answered: “That would be unfortunate for us and for all of us.
“I’m really enjoying this game with the supporters on both sides. That’s what makes football exciting, whether it’s away or at home, and hopefully we can continue to do so.”
“But of course, if something like that happens, there can be consequences and it may not be a good thing, so you have to be careful.”
Mr O’Neill had already expressed his sadness that a permanent return to the traditional allocation was unlikely, but he believed there was no risk that Rangers would lose around 2,500 allocations for their next trip to Celtic Park.
O’Neill said: “Rangers are going to get a quota, right? And they’re entitled to it. This is a league game. I don’t think anyone would argue with that.”
“What I was talking about was full allocation, and I feel like this fight, while still a great fight, is something that has been missed in recent years. I think everyone will look at it and think it’s not worth it.”
The SFA launched an investigation that could lead to disciplinary action immediately after the match, and the governing body announced on Thursday that it would commission an independent inquiry into match security operations.
Both clubs broke their silence on Thursday following criticism from Police Scotland for the lack of comment and condemnation.
Rangers “unequivocally” condemned the “disorder that has occurred” and reserved the strongest words for the “vile” graffiti relating to the deaths of 66 fans in the 1971 Ibrox disaster.
The Ibrox club also called for fans’ reputations to be “treated fairly”, stressing that “any story taken out of complete context is unacceptable”.
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Celtic chairman Brian Wilson insisted that the “euphoric reaction” from fans and flooding onto the pitch was “not unusual” and would not normally attract condemnation.
He added: “If there is evidence of violence, if there is evidence of threats of violence, then of course I condemn it, but let’s look at the evidence before we create perhaps a false narrative.”
Rangers aim for big boost in title contention with injured star player
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to St Mirren, Rohr revealed Mohamed Diomande is the only injured player in Rangers’ squad, but the manager will have a replacement midfielder available soon.
In fact, Joshua Barry has admitted that Conor Barron is “in contention” to feature in the Old Firm, so he is almost certain to be in the St Mirren Park squad.
Baron, who earns an estimated £14,000-a-week at Ibrox, was sidelined for three months with a knee injury in mid-January and was due to return around the time the league split, but his ability to feature in the showdowns with title rivals Celtic and Hearts was doubted.
However, the 23-year-old is already back on the line for this weekend and will look to add yet another option to the midfield for what could be a decisive bout in the title race, both this weekend and when the two contenders meet post-split.
