Police cordons surrounding Glasgow’s Trongate before Celtic supporters had even properly gathered on Saturday morning only reinforced one thing, authorities knew this situation was coming.
That is what makes the current response feel so reactive. Earlier this year, Police Scotland and political figures were already discussing contingency plans around what had been described as potential “powder-keg” Celtic title celebrations.
Yet by the morning of a potentially huge day in Glasgow, the most visible plan Celtic supporters could actually see was crowd-control barriers and a major police presence across the city centre.
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Glasgow has spent months warning about this Celtic scenario
None of this should be surprising anymore. Large Celtic supporter gatherings in Glasgow have become one of the most predictable events in Scottish football.
Earlier reporting around contingency discussions and fears of a possible “powder-keg” situation already made it clear authorities expected large numbers of supporters to descend on the city centre again.
Meanwhile, Police Scotland’s operational response had already ramped up before kick-off, while Glasgow was being warned about disruption throughout the weekend.
Once supporters are arriving in the city centre to see cordons already in place around traditional gathering points, the entire atmosphere immediately changes.
The bigger issue is the lack of a proper long-term plan
Police Scotland criticised Celtic this week over the absence of a formal supporter celebration plan, but this has clearly moved beyond simply blaming the football club.
Everyone already knew large crowds were coming. Police knew it. Glasgow City Council knew it. Celtic knew it. Supporters knew it.
Yet every single year the same cycle returns. Authorities prepare for disruption, supporters gather in huge numbers and the city centre effectively shifts into crowd-management mode before celebrations have even properly started.
If officials have genuinely spent months discussing potential “powder-keg” scenarios, then Glasgow should already have a better answer than visible cordons and reactive policing around the Trongate.
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