Rangers versus Celtic Old Firm Boston exhibition game scrapped

Rangers now considering heading to Sydney for pre-season tour

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Celtic and Rangers will not meet in Boston this summer

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Glasgow Rangers has decided to pull out of the proposed old firm game with Glasgow Celtic that was scheduled for Fenway Park on July 21 and instead may head to Sydney for a pre-season tournament

The Rangers hierarchy took the decision to skip Boston and will now mull over going down under to play against Blackburn Rovers from the Premier League, Sydney FC from the A-League and Boca Juniors from Argentina.

"In recent weeks the club has been discussing the possibility of a US tour and an Old Firm game in Boston," said Rangers chief executive Martin Bain.

"However, after all the facts had been considered we have decided not to pursue that.

"Instead, there is the possibility of matches in Australia and an announcement on that will be made in the next couple of days.”

The bosses from the blue side of Glasgow were said to be concerned about the possibility of crowd trouble in Boston, where it was expected that the almost 40,000 capacity Fenway park would be sold out.

Also, the publication of an article in the Boston Globe alluding that Rangers’ fans were somehow culpable for the 1971 Ibrox disaster where 66 fans were crushed to death might have been a contributing factor.

However, with Rangers in some financial difficulty, the chance to make the most money out of a pre-season venture would be the most attractive one, and it is believed that the Australian option may offer a stronger revenue stream than the trip to America.

Had the game gone ahead, it would have been the first time the Old Firm played against each other outside of Scotland.
 

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