Celtic and Rangers facing Tynecastle ticket dilemma as Hearts set to slash away allocations

Celtic and Rangers are set to face a scramble for tickets when they visit Tynecastle next season as Hearts prepare to drastically slash away allocations to around 650, according to reports.

The Gorgie club will hand out reduced briefs for matches going forward to 10 Scottish Premiership sides, with the exception of capital rivals Hibernian. The decision has been taken to give travelling fans just one section of the Roseburn stand due to the Jambos’ high demand for season tickets and from walk up supporters for home tickets on matchdays.

The Daily Record claim a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Hibs means they will be exempt from the new policy regarding away tickets and will continue to receive 3,600 seats for Edinburgh derbies. In return, Hearts supporters will still get the entire South Stand at Easter Road when they travel across the city.

The two Glasgow giants have had reduced allocations at Tynecastle in recent years, but that number is expected to drop further to ensure Steven Naismith’s side will have the full backing of a larger than usual home crowd.

The move comes after Aberdeen were denied a request for extra tickets for May’s crucial top-flight clash in the battle to finish in third place after Hearts made the game pay-per-view. It’s the latest in a growing number of ticketing dilemmas to affect Scottish football fans with the ongoing situation relating to Glasgow derby allocations.

Celtic and Rangers have made NO away tickets available to each other since the Covid pandemic hit. However, that is reportedly set to change when the duo next go head-to-head with the Ibrox side willing to offer their arch rivals 700 briefs for the first meeting of 2023/24 campaign on September 3.

The Light Blues are eager to find a resolution to end the fan lockout which has been a major talking point since 2018, despite chief executive James Bisgrove admitting there was “a long way to go” to sort out the allocation problem.

Speaking in May, he confirmed: “We’ve now sold out our season tickets again for next season which is phenomenal - 45,000. The away allocation opportunity for next season is in the corner of the Govan West stand, which means the maximum we can do is 700-800. But that’s subject to what the rest of the stakeholders bring to that conversation and we’ll see where it goes thereafter.”