Celtic will have to wait on police to discover ticket allocation for Scottish Cup clash at Ibrox

Police Scotland will decide whether Celtic receive their full ticket allocation for next month’s Scottish Cup match with Rangers.

The draw for the quarter-final of the competition paired the Glasgow giants together, with the clash taking place on the weekend of March 7/8.

Celtic supporters were traditionally housed in one end of the ground until 2018 when Rangers reduced their allocation to just 750.

The subsequent tit-for-tat fight ensured there were several instances when no visiting fans were allowed in the respective grounds for league matches.

While an agreement has since been struck between the clubs which sees around five per cent of the ground allocated to away fans for Premiership games, Celtic are entitled to claim up to 20 per cent of Ibrox for the cup clash.

In practical terms, though, that’s likely to see them demand 7,000 tickets for the Broomloan end in what would see the game revert to its more traditional ticket split.

While Rangers would be obliged to agree to that, the matter would still require approval from the authorities with the issuing of a safety certificate from the police non-negotiable.

Back in 2019, Aberdeen refused to give Rangers the 4,000 briefs they requested for a Scottish Cup clash at Pittodrie after citing issues getting the necessary documentation from the authorities.

In the end, segregation issues meant Rangers only received half of the number of tickets they wanted.

The cup draw means Martin O’Neill’s side travel to Ibrox twice in a week with the third Old Firm clash of the Premiership seasons scheduled to take place on March 1.