CELTIC hero Chris Sutton has reacted to the news that Rangers and BBC Scotland have settled their long-standing dispute.
This morning it was revealed that the BBC have issued an apology to Rangers for incidents where the organisation’s coverage of the Glasgow club ‘have not met its editorial standards’.
In a statement published on Twitter, the BBC – who have boycotted Ibrox since 2015 in response to the Govan outfit’s criticism of reporter Chris McLaughlin – said that the dispute between the two parties has now been resolved and that they ‘look forward to a positive ongoing relationship with the club’.
Rangers’ Twitter account shared the BBC’s apology, adding: “We acknowledge the recognition of past errors and the apology from BBC Scotland and the recent apology from [pundit] Michael Stewart.
“Reporting of football matches at Ibrox will recommence at the beginning of season 2022/23.”
Back in September last year, both Sutton and Neil Lennon were denied access to Ibrox having been deemed "security risks" by the club.
They were due to work as pundits for BT Sport during Rangers and Celtic's Europa League matches.
Great to see Rangers letting the BBC and everyone back in…
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) July 20, 2022
Sutton has since not been granted access back into the stadium to cover games for the broadcaster.
At the time he took to social media to slam the move, stating: "I’m not allowed to work on the Celtic game tonight from a studio at Ibrox along with Neil Lennon as Stewart Robertson the Rangers CEO says we are a security risk.
"Good to see Rangers ground breaking diversity and inclusion campaign ‘Everyone Anyone’ is working well…"
Now, with BBC regaining full access to Ibrox for the campaign ahead, Sutton has been reacting to that news.
He tweeted: "Great to see Rangers letting the BBC and everyone back in..."
It remains to be seen whether he will be granted access to work for BT during Rangers' European fixtures in the coming months.
BBC's full statement regarding the dispute conclusion reads: "A disagreement between BBC Scotland and Rangers FC has limited the BBC’s ability to report from Ibrox Stadium over a long period of time.
“The BBC and Rangers FC have now agreed it is in the best interests of the BBC’s audiences and Rangers supporters everywhere for the BBC and the club to resolve the dispute and provide the fullest possible coverage for all Rangers’ matches.
“The BBC is committed to reporting the Scottish Premiership full and fairly across all clubs. However, it recognises that the club has genuine concerns about the accuracy and balance of some coverage.
“The BBC acknowledges that there have been occasions when parts of the coverage of Rangers FC have not met its editorial standards.
“It has apologised for those instances and is happy to repeat those apologies now.
“We now look forward to a positive ongoing relationship with the club.”
