Rangers are to investigate the pros and cons of introducing a safe standing area at Ibrox.
The club are joining other teams in Scotland in looking into the potential of removing seats and replacing them with a contemporary form of terracing.
The move follows a general meeting of the Scottish Premier League clubs last Monday that decided to relax the rules on all-seater stadia in the top flight. Ibrox was one of the first all-seater stadia in Scotland and was substantially redeveloped following the Ibrox Disaster in 1971, when 66 people died after an Old Firm game.
"The fans have intimated for some time their desire for a standing area within Ibrox and following the feedback we have had, it is only right as a response that we are willing to explore the possibility," said Ali Russell, Rangers' chief operating officer. "Safety is of paramount concern and we want to look at how that can be balanced with the need to enhance the atmosphere at match days. There are examples in other parts of the world where this has been achieved and we will look at the feasibility of a trial.
"This is not something that can be achieved overnight and this club is acutely aware of the issues involved. Any standing area in the stadium would require the support of the Glasgow City Council safety team and the Police, as per SPL rules."
In the wake of Jim Goodwin, the St Mirren midfielder, accepting the offer of a two-match suspension for punching Steve Jennings of Motherwell last weekend, Ally McCoist has questioned why Sone Aluko had to serve the same length of ban. The Rangers winger was convicted of diving to earn a penalty against Dunfermline Athletic, although he denies he cheated and the club unsuccessfully appealed. "My player has been called a cheat, and a liar," the Rangers manager said. "I will stand by him. He's neither. But he got the same suspension. I am not having a go at Jim Goodwin because I've done it myself, if I am going to be brutally honest. But that's the territory we are in.
"The [SFA] see fit to give out those suspensions and that's the rules that we have to abide by."
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