Martin O’Neill delivers blunt verdict on Glasgow derby fan ban

Martin O’Neill has expressed his disappointment over the decision to prevent away supporters from attending Celtic and Rangers matches for the remainder of the 2026/27 season.

The SPFL confirmed on Friday that there will be no travelling fans at any Celtic-Rangers fixtures in its competitions for the rest of the campaign. The decision follows the dispute surrounding Celtic’s ticket allocation for the upcoming Premier Sports Cup meeting at Ibrox, after Rangers proposed giving the visitors only 300 tickets instead of the previously agreed 5% allocation.

Speaking ahead of Celtic’s trip to St Mirren, O’Neill admitted that the situation was disappointing and insisted that the famous Glasgow derby suffers when large numbers of visiting supporters are absent.

The Celtic manager said the fixture is among the biggest in European football and believes its atmosphere is heavily influenced by having supporters from both clubs inside the stadium.

“It’s a great, great fixture, and it loses a great deal with the big allocation of away fans not being in the stadium,” O’Neill said.

He also expressed hope that the two clubs could eventually find common ground and restore the traditional atmosphere surrounding the fixture.

O’Neill reflected on his first spell as Celtic manager, recalling the days when large numbers of away supporters regularly attended the derby.

He described those matches as “magnificent” and “absolutely fantastic”, while admitting that it is sad to see the fixture lose an important part of its identity.

The SPFL has described the current arrangement as temporary, with the decision subject to review if circumstances change during the season. The league said the measure is intended to give Celtic, Rangers, Police Scotland and other stakeholders time to consider recommendations from the independent review into the disorder at March’s Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.

For now, however, Celtic and Rangers will have to contest their remaining meetings without travelling supporters.

O’Neill’s view is that while the rivalry itself will remain intense, the spectacle is diminished when only the home support is present. As far as the Celtic boss is concerned, the Old Firm is at its best when both sets of supporters are able to contribute to the atmosphere.