Scottish Government ministers have been speaking to media outlets after discussions between Celtic, Rangers, footballing authorities and Glasgow City Council tonight.
There have been concerns about next week’s derby match and the potential for crowds to gather in breach of pandemic guidelines.
Scenes in Glasgow last week after Rangers won the Scottish Premiership title have drawn condemnation from politicians and the wider public.
Neither Celtic nor Celtic supporters were involved in that of course, but it did raise issues that the club had to engage with prior to the fixture at Celtic Park on March 21st.
Scottish Government minister Mairi Gougeon told The Herald: “This was a positive meeting which we called to address the need for fans to stay at home during the upcoming fixture on March 21.
“The reason we have allowed elite football to proceed is as much for the benefit of supporters as for those working in professional sport.
“Everyone is being deprived of so much right now – and making so many sacrifices – that the ability to watch a football game safely at home on television should be something that people should have the ability to do.
“But a minority cannot be allowed to act irresponsibly. We want to send out a very clear message that all fans must stay at home – there will be opportunities to come together to celebrate safely, collectively in due course.”
Justice secretary Humza Yousaf echoed those sentiments to The Herald, but did warn if there was any indication fans were going to gather that action could be taken.
He said: “We are grateful to Police Scotland, Glasgow City Council, and Celtic and Rangers football clubs for agreeing to join discussions arranged by the Scottish Government. These were constructive discussions.
“Our collective efforts are very much on ensuring the upcoming fixture between the two clubs is spoken about for events on the pitch, not off.
“We are pleased that the football clubs involved agreed to communicate robust messaging, stating unequivocally, that fans should stay at home.
“However, if police intelligence tells us, despite clear messaging, large groups of fans are going to gather and put public health at risk, we will need to very seriously consider taking action. Powers are open to us on that front.”
It certainly sounds promising that the match will go ahead as scheduled.
There’s no reason to think, at this stage, it will be postponed or cancelled after valuable dialogue between all of the parties involved.
Both Celtic and Rangers have issued statements today calling on fans not to congregate next week, so hopefully, that is enough for the authorities to proceed and confirm to the Scottish Parliament next week that the match will not be called off.
Nobody wants a repeat of last week’s scenes in George Square. However, the likelihood is that the upcoming fixture will go ahead without much incident.
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