Aberdeen legend Joe Harper has blasted the SPFL's decision to hand Rangers the majority of next month's Viaplay Cup tickets - and wants a united front from clubs to take a stand.
The Dons have been forced into apologies after some Light Blues fans got their hands on briefs for the showpiece match on December 17th after they went to general sale. It came after Aberdeen were left miffed over being handed just over 19000 briefs, while their foes have 25000 to dish out. Already, almost all tickets available to those in red are sold-out.
75-year-old Harper - who won every major Scottish honour in red across the 70s and 80s - has let rip at the Scottish game's hierarchy and insists a push for future change must be sought. He wrote in the Press and Journal: "The refusal of the SPFL to grant Aberdeen’s request to be issued with a 50-50 split of tickets for the Viaplay Cup final is a disgrace. Instead, the SPFL confirmed the Dons would receive just 19,500 tickets, with Rangers getting 25,000, for the final at Hampden on December 17.
"All other clubs outside Rangers and Celtic should join together to stop this practice of an unbalanced ticket allocation. There should be strength in numbers to push for change, because to giving one team more tickets for a final is completely unacceptable.
"Especially when that team, Aberdeen, have requested a 50-50 split and sold 43.000 tickets for the 2014 League Cup final. Aberdeen requested time to sell a 50% split of the tickets for next month’s final. And if they didn’t achieve that then the remaining tickets would go to Rangers – with plenty of time to sell them on.
"They shouldn’t even have to ask for a 50-50 split – it should be an automatic given. This ticket fiasco is embarrassing for Scottish football.
"The SPFL appear to think they are a law unto themselves and can do what they want. Other clubs should join together to show them they can’t."