Celtic released an update hitting out at Heart of Midlothian Football Club after the Gorgie side cut the away allocation by 20 percent.
This reduction means that traveling Celtic supporters have been allocated just 508 briefs for the vital clash in the capital at the end of the month, according to Yahoo Sports.
Celtic outlined its position in an official statement addressing the upcoming fixture at Tynecastle Stadium.
The statement continued, “Clearly we are surprised and disappointed at this move, which represents another cut of around 20% on our previous allocation and follows significant reductions across recent years.”
Celtic also noted that the issue rests entirely with the home club.
The club emphasized, “However, to be very clear, this is outwith our control and is the decision of the home club.”
Hearts are one of several clubs that have lowered the number of away supporters allowed to attend matches across Scottish football.
The Ibrox club started this trend back in 2018, leading to wider adoption that critics argue dilutes the atmosphere and costs clubs revenue, per Celtic Shorts.
For instance, Hibernian lost a few hundred grand in revenue by keeping half of their traditional away stand empty during a recent home match against Celtic.
St Johnstone previously tried restricting away fans before reverting to increasing allocations for visits from the Glasgow giants to fill their 10,000-seat stadium, according to Celtic Shorts.
Meanwhile, historical strategic advantages like Fergus McCann building a 60,000-seat stadium in the mid-1990s helped set a different standard, as noted by Celtic Shorts.
Commentators argue that Hearts possess a large enough stadium to house bigger supports and generate more revenue.
However, the Edinburgh club has instead been accused of denying football fans the opportunity to attend matches.