Rangers express ‘immense frustration’ at Scottish Government decision to limit crowds after last-ditch postponement attempt rejected

Rangers have stated they are “immensely frustrated” with the new set of measures put in place by the Scottish Government on limiting the number of fans at football matches.

The SPFL received a majority vote from Premiership clubs to bring forward the winter break after the completion of the round of fixtures on Boxing Day.

However, the Ibrox club were understood to be one of only two teams in the top-flight that opted against the move, preferring instead to continue playing until the previously scheduled date.

Only 500 spectators will be allowed to attend games this weekend for a three-week period following Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to tighten restrictions on people attending large-scale outdoor events.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are due to face St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday and the Light Blues have confirmed a ballot will take place for season ticket holders to secure their seat inside the ground.

A club statement released yesterday read: “Rangers Football Club notes the recent announcement made by the First Minister, which will severely reduce the number of supporters able to access Ibrox Stadium for our Boxing Day fixture with St Mirren.

“This match will go ahead following discussions with fellow SPFL clubs in recent day.

“We share the immense frustration of our loyal fans, who would have ensured the match would have been a sell-out, however, we will now only be able to welcome a miniscule proportion of that proposed crowd to the stadium.

“A ballot will be held to ensure an extremely limited number of our season ticket holders will be able to attend the match, with those successful notified at the earliest opportunity.

“For those season ticket holders and hospitality clients unable to attend, the match will be shown live at no additional cost on RangersTV.

“A voucher code and instructions on how to redeem and view the match will be emailed to season ticket holders and hospitality clients imminently.

“Supporters should redeem their code at their earliest opportunity to alleviate any rush on matchday and to allow time for any customer service queries to be dealt with.

“Please keep an eye on your email account and check your spam folder if you don’t receive anything over the next few days.

“Emma Dodds will present our coverage with Clive Tyldesley, Neil McCann and Shelly Kerr also on our team.”

It comes after SPFL clubs reportedly launched a last-ditch attempt to have a fans-capacity limit postponed that was turned down by Holyrood.

An eleventh hour move to urge the Scottish Government to reconsider the plans to cap attendances until the conclusion of play on December 26 was rejected.

Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack pleaded to delay the ruling on social media. He posted: “@NicolaSturgeon On behalf of Scottish football fans, including those home for Xmas who plan ahead to attend games with their families, we at Aberdeen FC respectfully ask the FM to consider delaying the 500 fan limit on Boxing Day until midnight on 26th. Thank you in advance.”