Martin O’Neill revealed this week that Police Scotland had visited Lennoxtown ahead of Celtic’s trip to Ibrox on Sunday.
That quickly became a story about Celtic players being “warned” by police before the Glasgow Derby, with some headlines making the visit sound far more pointed than O’Neill’s actual comments suggested.
There is more context to it than that.
Speaking ahead of the game, O’Neill confirmed that officers had spent around 15 minutes with the Celtic squad.
“We had the police come in today, just a little 15-minute meeting with us, just reminders of our behaviour, which I think is actually a timely reminder. It’s a good thing as well,” the Celtic manager said.
Asked about what had been discussed, O’Neill added: “They didn’t mention this but I would have assumed that one of the things that they considered is what happens on the field of play, because these things can be taken further.”
He also spoke about avoiding situations such as “punch-ups” and celebrations spilling over into something more confrontational.
Taken alone, that was enough for the visit to be portrayed in places as Police Scotland arriving at Lennoxtown specifically to put Celtic players on notice.
That is not the full picture.
CeltsAreHere understands part of the discussion was also about player safety and the possibility of Celtic players being targeted from the stands at Ibrox.
With no Celtic supporters inside the stadium on Sunday, the Hoops will be playing in front of an entirely hostile home crowd. Players were advised to be aware of their surroundings and cautious about situations which could develop around the pitch.
That is a fairly important piece of context when discussing why police were speaking to the Celtic squad in the first place.
We also understand Police Scotland visited Rangers this week and spoke to them about their own responsibilities surrounding the fixture.
In other words, this was not simply a case of police turning up at Lennoxtown because of concerns over Celtic.
Sunday’s game comes with added scrutiny after the scenes surrounding Celtic’s previous visit to Ibrox, while the absence of away supporters only adds another unusual element to the occasion.
And this is a place that has seen Celtic coaching staff receiving stitches as well as fans entering the pitch in the past to confront Celtic players with zero repercussions. [The Guardian]
Police speaking directly to those involved before a fixture like this is hardly surprising.
O’Neill himself did not appear remotely irritated by the visit. In fact, he called it “a timely reminder” and “a good thing”.
There is nothing wrong with reporting that Police Scotland spoke to Celtic’s players about their conduct.
But when the story is reduced to Celtic receiving a police warning, it leaves out half of what the visit was actually about and creates an impression that does not match what we understand happened.
The players were reminded of their responsibilities.
They were also reminded to look after themselves. The game kicks off at 12pm on Sunday.
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One Response
Look after themselves from what, some hidden danger in playing football?. No, the real subtext here is that fascists will be fascists, and there are plenty in the Rangers* support. These people live for violence, and in Scotland as in the rest of the UK, and Europe for that matter, they are treated with kid gloves, often escaping any repercussions ( @Guardian), that would bring a swift and severe response from the police were this any other group. For example, peaceful Celtic fans twice kettled for no offence, while rioters, in places like George Square,many in Rangers* tops, go completely unmolested.