Aberdeen blast '˜unnecessary delays' as ticket split with Rangers set

Aberdeen and Rangers will meet in the Betfred Cup semi-final. Picture: SNS

Aberdeen: Fans deserve more clarity over '˜baffling' SFA decisions

The Reds will receive 20,300 tickets for their fans - around 40 per cent of the capacity of Hampden Park - with the rest going to their opponents.

Aberdeen revealed in a club statement that they were offered 16,800 tickets with the promise of more if they sold them all.

However, due to the protracted nature of the venue selection, Aberdeen felt they were unable to shift those briefs in a shortened timescale and instead negotiated a guaranteed allocation of the match.

Aberdeen were initially told their match would take place at 12noon on Sunday 28 October, with Hearts’ match against Celtic taking place later in the day at the same ground.

The SPFL, after negotiations with Hampden Park Limited and the authorities, agreed to move the other semi-final to Murrayfield, allowing them to shift Aberdeen’s match to a 4.30pm kick-off.

The Dons had previously stated their desire to seek a 50-50 split of tickets with Rangers.

Commercial director Rob Wicks told the Aberdeen website: “Whilst we are pleased that we have now been able to secure a larger guaranteed allocation of 20,300 tickets for our supporters, the fact that it’s taken ten days since the semi-final draw leaves a lot to be desired.

“These unnecessary delays surrounding the venue and kick off time of our match have impacted upon the time available to sell tickets. Last Friday we were told we’d get the North Stand if we sold substantially all of our initial allocation of 16,800 tickets.

“In good faith we gave this information to our fans – only to find out yesterday that in order to get the North Stand we’d have to sell virtually all of our initial allocation of 16,800 tickets in a matter of just a few days, putting us in an impossible position.

He added: “I’m sure we can all appreciate the SPFL’s desire to see a full stadium and maximise ticket income for these high-profile fixtures but moving forward allocations have to be done on a basis which puts supporters first and without the time constraints we have seen here.

“We at Aberdeen are calling for more transparency within the game in Scotland. Our fans deserve to know these facts. We must put fans first. We sincerely hope the SPFL will have learnt from this experience and that we don’t see a repeat.

“Let’s have the Red Army at Hampden in numbers and give the team all the support they need as we look to secure our place in the final.”

Tickets will go on sale on Thursday 11 October at 5.30pm for fans with more than 40 loyalty points. Those with at least one loyalty point will be able to purchase their tickets a day later.