The Old Firm derby, a clash between Scottish football rivals Rangers and Celtic, is suffering a significant loss of spectacle due to the ongoing ban on away fans, according to former players Graeme Souness and Scott Brown.
The ban, implemented following crowd trouble at Ibrox last March, means no Celtic supporters will be present at Ibrox for the upcoming Premier Sports Cup quarter-final, a situation set to be mirrored in league matches and other cup ties throughout the season. The SPFL has termed this a "temporary arrangement."
Souness, a former Rangers player-manager, described the Old Firm derby as the "biggest" in the world, drawing intrigue from across the globe due to its "hostility." However, he believes the exclusion of away fans transforms the game into an "oxymoron" and "waters down the derby day spectacle." He recalled pitch invasions at Ibrox last season, noting the negative international message it sent about Scottish football and lamenting that such incidents "ruined" what should be a "showpiece game."
"Having no supporters in the stadium would diminish any game but this game especially," Souness stated. "I hope it’s a short-term thing because the Old Firm game is such a spectacle."
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Scott Brown, a former Celtic captain, echoed these sentiments, stating that the "passion of the game is being pulled away with having no fans there." He understands the necessity of the ban due to unacceptable behaviour such as "people running on the pitch, throwing things and fighting," attributing such actions to "idiots" and "miscreants" who hide behind masks.
"The Celtic fans will be devastated that they can’t get into this game because of those idiots," Brown said. "See if you want to do that, go to a field and fight someone and see how hard you are. They want to hide behind masks and that is both sides, not just Rangers."
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Brown advocates for stricter measures to identify and remove troublemakers, suggesting that facial recognition technology could help restore trust among fans. "If someone sees my face at a game, I’m not really bothered. There are cameras floating about everywhere anyway," he commented, suggesting that such identification would deter those intending to cause trouble.
He expressed hope for a return to a situation where "thousands of away fans back at the games." Despite the current restrictions, Brown believes Celtic players will not be deterred, stating they will focus on the game itself, where "you can’t hear anything anyway. It’s about pride, passion and enjoyment of the bragging rights."
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