Make no mistake, this whole mess started with the SFA's rules. The 20% allocation for away fans left both clubs with tiny travelling support and, as I saw yesterday, that created a pressure cooker. We tried to comply and in hindsight maybe we should have pushed back, but the rule backed Rangers into a corner.
SFA policy put clubs in a bind
There are reasons around crowd safety, policing and stadium capacity that officials will quote, but the blunt 20% figure ignores the matchday reality. When you force a small number of away fans into a huge stadium you change the dynamic, the atmosphere shifts, security plans become harder and tensions can rise. That is not an excuse for what happened, but it does explain how an already volatile situation became more combustible.
Green Brigade and the away support problem
The Green Brigades' posts and messages before kick-off suggested they saw an opportunity after being largely shut out for so long. To be frank, that shouldn't have come as a total surprise. Clubs and authorities should have been prepared for a flashpoint. My big question is this: how is it that a group who are banned from Celtic Park were sold tickets by Celtic for an away game at Ibrox? That needs answering. Ticketing and vetting procedures must be airtight and clubs should not be outsourcing responsibility. If supporters are going to act up when given that chance, the fault sits at multiple doors, with fan groups, clubs and the governing body all sharing blame.
Pundits need to face the new reality
Pundits and ex-players who hanker after the good old days need to wake up. Ultras culture has changed the landscape around away support; bigger, more organised groups look for moments and they can make things happen quickly. That doesn't excuse violence or disruption, but it does mean the old assumptions about away fans and what we'd simply tolerate no longer hold. We need honest conversations, not nostalgia, about how to protect genuine supporters, keep stadiums safe and prevent a minority from hijacking big occasions. The SFA should review the allocation rule and clubs must tighten ticketing and stewarding. Ultimately, accountability should sit with those who make the regulations, not just with clubs trying to follow them.
We can't unpick what happened overnight, but the starting point is clear: the SFA must be held to account and everyone involved must stop preferring nostalgia over safety.
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