ABERDEEN supporters won’t receive as many tickets for the Betfred Cup final at Hampden in December as Celtic fans, writes Matthew Lindsay.
Niall McGinn, the Pittodrie club’s winger, called for an even split of briefs for the showpiece match following his side’s 1-0 win over Rangers in the semi-final on Sunday.
But the SPFL have decided to give defending champions Celtic 25,000 tickets and Aberdeen 20,000 after discussions with both clubs as well as the Hampden Park safety officer and Police Scotland.
The north-east club were forced to hand back around 5,000 tickets for the semi-final despite demanding a greater allocation due to a poor uptake from their followers.
Derek McInnes’s team, who beat Steven Gerrard’s side thanks to a late Lewis Ferguson header, were cheered on by a crowd of around 11,000 at the weekend.
Celtic fans will be housed in the North, East and South Stands at the final on Sunday, December 2, while Aberdeen supporters will be in the South and West Stands.
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “I’m pleased that we’ve been able to reach an outcome that allows both clubs to finalise their ticket arrangements for what should be a showcase Betfred Cup final at Hampden Park.
“We expect both sets of supporters will make it an occasion to remember and look forward to welcoming them to the national stadium in early December.”
McGinn had said: “We have shown in the past, the last time that we played Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, that we can fill half the stadium.
“Finals should always be half and half, no matter who the teams are. We know that we are a big club and we know that we are definitely capable of bringing 25,000 to the final.
“When we won the League Cup we took 40,000 to Celtic Park.”
Tickets will cost between £30 and £40 for adults and between £15 and £20 for under-16s and over-65s.
Aberdeen and Celtic will announce ticket sale information in due course.
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