It has taken long enough but there will be away fans at Celtic vs Rangers clashes once again this season.
There has been a long-running feud between the two clubs where ticket allocation is concerned with an away punter lockout coming into action in recent seasons.
Celtic confirmed that had ended ahead of this weekend’s Glasgow derby with more than 2000 Gers fans set to be in attendance for the Scottish Premiership fixture on Sunday afternoon.
Security concerns had been cited as one major reason for the lockout previously but an agreement was finally struck earlier this year as was revealed by both clubs in statements.
Rangers will reciprocate when the two sides do battle at Ibrox after the split later this season but it is at Celtic Park where the away fans will return first. And a plan is now in place to address any concerns.
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Celtic have extra security measures in place before Rangers clash
Images surfaced on social media this week showing the plans put in place by the home club to avoid any unsavoury scenes on nasty problems between the two sets of supporters.
The picture showed increased security around the away section of the stadium where the visiting punters will be housed.
And netting can be seen separating the divide which brings a very European look to Glasgow ahead of derby day.
Foreign clubs have used the netting to keep fanbases away from each other while clubs in the Premier League have done the same in both domestic football as well as in Champions League action when other sides bring their support in numbers.
Celtic followed other clubs’ lead on netting plan vs Rangers
Manchester United are one club that have used the netting as a divide from away fans in recent times. The Red Devils put out a mesh net before matches with Juventus and Young Boys back in 2019 at Old Trafford before it was destroyed by PSG fans a few weeks later.
Rivals Manchester City also considered something similar before a match against Liverpool in 2023 following alleged incidents during a match where items were thrown between groups.
Celtic, meanwhile, applied for permission to Glasgow city council to install netting for a derby match last year before initial plans to end the disagreement were scrapped.
The application read: “Installation of temporary netting to the Southeast corner between the home and away support. The netting is installed before each Celtic vs Rangers match and disassembled after.”
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