Rangers defend away ticket plan

Martin Bain defended the Old Firm's stance on away tickets

Rangers have defended the Old Firm's plans to charge a 5% handling fee to sell tickets for away tickets.

They were criticised after writing to the other 10 SPL clubs outlining their plans and accused of "stirring up a hornet's nest".

But Rangers chief executive Martin Bain said he was surprised at the reaction.

"It's incredulous that, despite our attempts to explain this rationally to other clubs, some of them refuse to accept our approach," he said.

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.

And Falkirk managing director George Craig told the BBC the club would sell away tickets for the home game against Rangers on 9 August - rather than send them to the Ibrox club to allocate.

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

Bain said he was disappointed at the reaction, adding: "The actions we've taken are in the best interests of our fans and the club.

"We hope this is recognised by our travelling support, despite the complicated and difficult route that may now exist to obtain tickets for fixtures that were once easy to obtain."

The Rangers chief executive added: "At this stage Falkirk, Hibs, Hearts and Dundee United have indicated they will sell tickets to our fans themselves and we await confirmation of the official response from the clubs."

Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston has described the Old Firm move as "stirring up a hornets' nest".

Speaking earlier this month, he told BBC Sport: "It's causing a bit of consternation in certain quarters. It's an issue we could've done without."