Rangers accept derby tickets but 'disappointed' by SPFL stance

Rangers ready for must-win Hearts game - Rohl Rangers fans face ban for der with Celtic A Scottish FA investigation, led consultant Mark Blackbourne, has yet to report to the governing body on the cup tie. The Ibrox club stressed they had "been clear in condemning the actions of certain individuals on 8 March" and had been "attempting to work with Celtic to mitigate any security concerns for the upcoming match". Celtic had demanded the exclusion of a section of the Rangers support they say "identifiably engaged in serious violence and disorder". The club expressed "surprise and disappointment" that Rangers had not agreed to the request and that they were happy to hold discussions with their rivals and the league body. The defending champions added their "priority will always be the safety of those attending Celtic Park and, following a detailed risk assessment with regards to the forthcoming match, the club has made a reasonable request of Rangers FC that tickets are not distributed to a section of supporters which very recently and identifiably engaged in serious violence and disorder involving Celtic supporters, staff, police and stewards". In the SPFL's statement on Friday afternoon, the league body explained a hearing had taken place the day before "in front of an independent SPFL board sub-committee during which both clubs presented evidence and legal arguments". "The sub-committee noted the following: And an SPFL spokesperson said: "We note the decision of the independent sub-committee. We have been consulting with all clubs for months regarding the rules in this area and had achieved consensus that the current deadline of 14 days before a match for a referral to the SPFL board is insufficient to allow a proper forensic analysis of the circumstances. "Following discussion at the SPFL's Rules & Regulations Working Group, we had intended to table a resolution at the June AGM to bring forward the deadline to 35 days prior to a fixture and will now take time to reflect on this decision."