Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Rangers vs Celtic - Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - January 2, 2023 Celtic players applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo
(Reuters) - Rangers and Celtic fans will be allowed to buy tickets in the away section for games between the rivals next season after the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) said on Friday that the clubs would offer an allocation of around 5%.
Away fans have not been present at recent Old Firm derby matches due to a ticketing dispute over fan safety.
The new allocation would allow about 2,500 Celtic fans at Ibrox Stadium while around 3,000 Rangers fans can travel to Celtic Park.
"This will be effective from Scottish Premiership season 2024-25, subject to all necessary requirements being satisfied at both Ibrox and Celtic Park," the SPFL said in a statement.
"It does not affect the remaining two league matches between the clubs in season 2023-24, which will remain at a zero allocation for away supporters."
Celtic are top of the league after 30 games, a point ahead of Rangers who have a game in hand.
Last month, Rangers were forced to cancel all tickets bought by Celtic fans for their table-topping Scottish Women's Premier League clash at Ibrox due to what the club described as the risk of trouble in the unsegregated supporters' stands.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
