Watch: Rodgers Masterclass Puts Rangers and Media in Their Place

Brendan Rodgers has addressed the controversy surrounding the absence of away fans at the upcoming Celtic-Rangers derbies, stressing that the issue lies solely with Rangers’ failure to meet agreed safety measures.

Celtic has fulfilled their responsibilities by installing the necessary safety enhancements at their stadium, but Rangers have not started similar works or even applied for the required planning permission.

🗣️ "𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰-𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴."

Brendan Rodgers with a passionate response to the news there will be no away fans at the first two Old Firm league Games this season ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/kfqf9CzzPu

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 16, 2024

With no assurances that Rangers would reciprocate by the second fixture, Celtic made the decision not to host Rangers’ fans to protect their own supporters.

Rodgers stressed that this is not a mutual problem but a specific failure by Rangers, criticizing the narrative that frames the issue as a joint concern: “The club’s job is to protect the support, and if there’s not that guaranteed that come the second fixture then it’s only logical that you wouldn’t reciprocate,” he said, as quoted by Clyde SSB.

“So, Celtic have played their part in what they were asked to do.

“I go back, nothing of this was Celtic’s issue. Nothing.

“Look back at when this all started, it had nothing to do with Celtic.

“Celtic gets dragged into this here as it being a Celtic-Rangers thing, it’s not a Celtic-Rangers thing. This is a Rangers thing.

“Celtic, when they are asked to have this agreement to make the stadium safe we plough the money into that and do the works, which started months ago.

“Like I said, on both parties it has been agreed, so it’s not complicated. It hasn’t been done.

“It’s not great faith if we allow Rangers in and in January our supporters don’t get in. It’s not good faith.

“So, I think the agreement hasn’t been upheld, so Celtic are rightly defending their supporters and their club, and sadly the Rangers supporters miss out on this Game, and Celtic in the return Game.

“But let’s hope after that that we can find a way to get the supporters in.”

Rodgers is absolutely right to come out all guns blazing here. There is only one party to blame here, and it’s Rangers. The agreement has been in place for months and they’ve failed to act, there is no other way that this should be portrayed.