Keith Jackson shocked by what he saw ahead of Rangers v Celtic at Hampden Park
Keith Jackson was left shocked after Rangers and Celtic fans clashed in Glasgow City centre ahead of the Scottish League Cup final on Sunday.
Five days after the final on 15 December, supporters are still focused on what went wrong at Hampden Park, with the Scottish FA admitting their officials made a mistake by not awarding the Gers a penalty.
However, some of the focus has now shifted to the actions of the fans before the game kicked off, with videos emerging of rivals clashing in front of the public away from Hampden Park.
Writing via the Daily Record [18 December], Jackson said: “As was the case in both club’s semi-finals, kick-off had to be delayed and the chaos unfolded despite the Old Firm pleading with their own supporters not to break the law.
“There were also shocking scenes in Glasgow city centre earlier in the day when groups of rival fans clashed in front of terrified Christmas shoppers.”
Rangers v Celtic sees ugly scenes emerge ahead of Hampden Park clash
Ugly scenes were captured on video before the game kicked off at Hampden Park, with Gers fans clashing with the Hoops in the city centre – it was absolute pandemonium.
Of course, there is a huge divide between the two fanbases and the hatred comes from years of history, but it all seemed far too much as police began to get involved.
Derbies can often produce scenes like this, whether it’s the Manchester derby, Merseyside derby or the Superclasico between Boca Juniors and River Plate in Argentina.
However, supporters need to know where they are crossing the line, and putting members of the public in danger should certainly be at the very top of that list, especially when it comes to a game of football.
Those same fans have every right to be upset with the current controversy surrounding a penalty decision not given for a foul on Vaclav Cerny, but it now seems like a good time to move on.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton was baffled by what was said about Rangers v Celtic at Hampden Park, “Load of rubbish”.
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