Club 1872 issue statement as fans react after Rangers pull out of Sydney Super Cup clash with Celtic

Rangers fan shareholder group Club 1872 have welcomed the club’s decision to pull out of their controversial Old Firm friendly showdown with Celtic in Australia.

The Glasgow giants were scheduled to clash outside of Scotland for the first time in November but the Ibrox club confirmed in a short statement yesterday that they would no longer be taking part in the four-team Sydney Super Cup.

The Light Blues blamed tournament organisers for their failure to “fulfil their commitments” to the club.

GlasgowWorld understands the Scottish champions insist there was an agreement in place to use the ‘Old Firm’ branding, which was changed to ‘Glasgow Derby’ - the term used by rivals Celtic.

The Parkhead club labelled the fixture Down Under as manager Ange Postecoglou’s ‘homecoming’ and Rangers supporters grouping Club 1872 have urged the board to pursue alternative options after terminating their lucrative deal.

A statement read: “Club 1872 welcomes Rangers’ decision to pull out of the Sydney Cup.

“We hope now that through meaningful engagement with supporters and shareholders, Rangers will find a more suitable way to give overseas supporters an opportunity to see the team playing live in November.”

Fans of both clubs have been reacting to the news on social media ahead of the third clash of the season at Ibrox this Sunday, with the majority of Gers supporters pleased by the news.

However, some fans felt the move should never have happened, with hundreds now left out of pocket after booking their holidays around the match.

One Rangers fan wrote on Twitter: “Well done. Now fans need to put this behind us and get behind the team starting on Sunday.”

But another stated: “Raging. Flights booked the lot”, while one fan questioned “Who’s gonna refund my flights and accommodation?”

A third jokingly asked “Can I get my tennis balls back then?” after supporters staged various protests and launched objects on to the pitch during a Premiership match against Dundee.

Another wrote: “Don’t ever underestimate the power of your supporters @Rangers FC. This was the worst of the worst nonsense I’d ever seen in all my life as a Gers fan...”

One person suggested that the uproar from the fans lay at the root of the decision tweeting: “This was a terrible idea to begin with and totally out of touch with the fans. 100% the right decision.”

Meanwhile, Celtic fans claim Rangers decision proves they were running scared from the fixture.

One fan wrote: “S*** it”, while another stated “bit disrespectful to Ange”.

A third wrote: “Think you mean “Rangers can confirm we s*** it from the Angeball World Tour”.

A fourth admitted: “Crumbled under pressure just like your defence will on Sunday.”