Old Firm ticket plan criticised

Michael Johnston says the other SPL clubs are unhappy

Kilmarnock's chairman has accused Celtic and Rangers of stirring up "a hornet's nest" over plans for charging a handling fee for away tickets.

The Old Firm clubs are seeking a 5% fee for allocating away tickets to fans during the new season.

Michael Johnston told BBC Sport the other 10 SPL clubs were holding talks on how to respond to the move.

"It's causing a bit of consternation in certain quarters," he said. "It's an issue we could've done without."

Johnston said the proposal was a concern for Kilmarnock ahead of the new season.

"It's certainly caused a few murmurs of discontent, shall we say," he told BBC Sport.

"We're the club that potentially will be hit hardest by that because we give Rangers and Celtic between eight and nine thousand tickets for the matches at Rugby Park.

There's a lot of dialogue between the other 10 SPL clubs as to how this should be dealt with here Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston

"So, it would be a major financial hit for us. We're considering our options at the moment.

"Obviously, there's a lot of dialogue going on among the other 10 clubs as to how this should be dealt with."

Johnston said that, while he could understand the Old Firm clubs from a commercial viewpoint, he stressed he was disappointed with the plan.

"Whether, it's just agreed that Rangers and Celtic will charge the 5% and the host clubs will just have to bear that as a further expense," he said.

"Or whether the handling charge will be added to the ticket price."

BBC Sport has learned that some clubs are now set to bypass the previous arrangement and sell the tickets for games against Celtic and Rangers themselves.

MY SPORT: DEBATE What do fans of the other clubs think of the Old Firm's plans?

One SPL club director told BBC Sport: "If we let them away with this what happens next season, will they decide to charge 10%. It is not so much the money as the principle at stake."

Another director suggested that, as long as other clubs took all reasonable precautions in selling the tickets to fans, both Celtic and Rangers would still be liable for any unacceptable behaviour by their supporters at away grounds.

Johnston said it remained a complex issue.

"We could add the 5% onto the existing price, so that, instead of an Old Firm ticket at Rugby Park being £25, it would become £26.25," he suggested.

"But I'm reluctant to impose a price increase on away supporters when they're already paying a premium to come to watch Rangers and Celtic at Rugby Park."