Amid the ongoing impasse over away allocations, Michael Beale made a subtle jab at derbies that ‘don’t let the fans in.’
After being fired at Ibrox, Beale recovered quickly to become Sunderland’s manager, albeit things at the Stadium of Light haven’t gone well for him yet. He was in the dugout for Saturday’s FA Cup match between Newcastle and Manchester United, which was much awaited. Newcastle won 3-0.
With 49,000 people in attendance, the atmosphere was electrifying as 6,000 Geordies took their seats in the away section and raised their voices. Despite his team’s dismal loss, Beale was eager to celebrate this. During his tenure in Glasgow, Beale was the manager for six Old Firm derbies, but only two of them—at Hampden—saw a sizable turnout of supporters from both camps. This is due to the continuous rivalry between Rangers and Celtic, as neither team now permits spectators from other teams to enter Ibrox or Parkhead.
After the game, Beale told beIN Sports, “The noise in the stadium today was absolutely fantastic,” indicating that he was aware of this. We don’t let the fans in for some derbies; I’ve experienced that in Scotland and Brazil. Thus, the derby, when certain fans of the opposing teams attend and compete with one another, is what keeps football alive.”