TICKET ROW: SPFL BOSSES BACK CELTIC

CELTIC have been backed by SPFL chiefs in their ticket row with Rangers ahead of the Premiership clash at Parkhead a week on Sunday.

The champions had announced they were withholding the 2,200 allocation the Ibrox club expected to receive.

The Hoops hierarchy made the decision following ugly scenes at the end of their team’s Scottish Cup quarter-final penalty-kick shoot-out win in Govan in March.

Members of the Union Bears ran on the pitch to confront visiting supporters in the Broomloan Stand and clashed with stewards and police.

Celtic requested their Ibrox counterparts did not sell tickets to the ultras group, but were refused leading to all briefs being withheld.

Ibrox chiefs took the row to the SPFL board. An independent sub committee ruled on the issue – stating they will not overrule the Parkhead club’s call.

They said: “The Sub-Committee then determined that, based on the evidence presented, it would not overrule a risk assessment carried out by the party legally responsible for the safety and security of the event, or interfere with the mitigation measures it considered to be necessary to comply with SPFL Rule H36.”

An SPFL spokesperson, speaking to the Daily Record, added: “We note the decision of the independent sub-committee.

“We have been consulting with all clubs for months regarding the rules in this area and had achieved consensus that the current deadline of 14 days before a match for a referral to the SPFL Board is insufficient to allow a proper forensic analysis of the circumstances.

“Following discussion at the SPFL’s Rules & Regulations Working Group, we had intended to table a resolution at the June AGM to bring forward the deadline to 35 days prior to a fixture and will now take time to reflect on this decision.”