"I was a really big advocate, from a distance, of feeling that without away fans, without the full allocation of away fans, I thought the Old Firm game, still a fantastic fixture, had lost some of its lustre. And I thought the noise emanating from Ibrox, both last Sunday and the Sunday before that, even though we'd only 2,500 people, was something I have not heard for a long, long time."
"So, there's something really magical about it and I'm really, obviously, quite saddened by the events. Saddened seems almost like you're minimising or downplaying things. But overall it's a shame because I think the things that I was hoping that would happen, and happened for a long time, may now not happen anymore."
Celtic defeated Rangers on penalties in a Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, but pitch invasions and nine arrests followed. The match featured approximately 7,500 away supporters, the largest allocation since 2018, partly due to Scottish Cup rules. O'Neill expressed sadness about the incidents, noting they may prevent future large away allocations. He previously advocated for full away fan attendance, believing it enhanced the fixture's atmosphere and intensity. Recent Old Firm meetings had varying away allocations ranging from none to 2,500 supporters, with the larger crowd creating an exceptional stadium atmosphere.
Read at www.bbc.com
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