Danny Rohl fearful Rangers vs Celtic independent review could lead to sanctions on away ticket allocations
The Rangers boss confessed he doesn’t want to see away fans locked out of future Old Firm derbies after last weekend’s shameful scenes
Rangers boss Danny Rohl has declared it would be a “shame” if Old Firm crowd trouble at Ibrox last Sunday will result in an away fan lockout altogether - but accepts there could be “consequences”.
The German, who was experiencing the fixture for the third time since moving to Glasgow in October, fears the Light Blues’ allocation for the final post-split league clash between the sides this season might not be permitted for their trip across to Celtic Park - and potentially beyond in the wake of disgraceful scenes following the Scottish Cup quarter-final tie.
An independent review into the incident, which saw fans of both clubs invade the pitch at full-time, has been launched by the Scottish FA, with many onlookers debating the possibility of sanctions on away ticket allocations going forward.
Asked how he would describe the scenes, Rohl admitted: “Yeah, I think nobody likes to see this. I think it was a big part after the game. We didn’t speak about football, we spoke about all the other things around on the pitch, off the pitch.
“Nobody likes to see this. It was over 120 minutes, an exciting game, a lot of good emotion on the pitch, and off the pitch. This is what we want. And then, after the only topic was the situation on the pitch, and this should not have happened.
“It didn’t open my eyes. I said this before, I think the emotional part was great during the game. I think I would like to have these Old Firms with supporters from both sides. This is great. This makes the football exciting, it makes the atmosphere in the stadium, and I think everyone should take responsibility so that we can keep having this.”
Danny Rohl: Old Firm away allocation cut ‘would not be nice for all of us’
Quizzed on whether he was concerned that future away allocations will be cut or completely removed altogether, Rohl commented: “Yeah, it would be a shame for us or for all of us. I think since I’ve been here, I really enjoyed this game with the supporters at both ends.
“If you’re away or at home, that makes the football exciting, and hopefully we can carry on. But, of course, if such a thing happens, then you have to be careful because it could be that there’s a consequence. The fans in the stadium, they like to see football, they feel the consequences, and it would not be nice for all of us.”
Rangers announced on Thursday evening that they will also carry out an independent review into the crowd disorder, but Rohl concedes he is unsure what consequences his club could face.
He added: “I think there’s an investigation and then they will look for all these things and then finally there will be some consequences, there will be some conclusions, and then let’s see what happens. I don’t know yet the consequences of all these things that have happened.”