Police criticise Celtic over failure to plan title party for fans

A senior police officer has criticised Celtic for failing to put plans in place for an official title party should the club retain the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

Martin O'Neill's team need to defeat leaders Hearts at Parkhead to win the league for the fifth year in-a-row.

In recent years Celtic fans have been involved in anti-social behaviour after gathering in their thousands in the Merchant City and Trongate areas of Glasgow.

As precautionary measures - including the removal of glass from bus stop shelters - were taken on Friday, the club urged supporters to avoid mass gatherings which have a "high impact" on the city.

In contrast, Hearts will stage an open-top bus parade through Edinburgh on Sunday if they secure the point needed to win the club's first title since 1960.

The winner-takes-all match, which kicks off at 12:30, has been described by manager Derek McInnes as "box office".

But should Celtic triumph there are fears fan celebrations will mirror those of last year, which featured mass street drinking, the use of pyrotechnics and led to 20 arrests.

The celebrations appeared to be smaller in scale than the 2024 event, which resulted in 19 arrests and left four officers injured.

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said the force had a comprehensive plan in place that would focus on "minimising disruption to local communities" and avoiding "widespread disorder".

During the closest title race in years, officers have supported Glasgow City Council in discussions with both Celtic and Rangers, who were in contention until they lost to Hearts earlier this month.

The final day showdown was confirmed on Wednesday after Celtic defeated Motherwell with a controversial VAR-awarded penalty in the 99th minute.

On Friday the Scottish Football Association revealed match referee John Beaton and his family spent the previous night at home under police surveillance after a "leak of personal details online".

The SFA blamed a "hysterical media narrative" following the Fir Park match.

The statement concluded: "We urge tolerance and perspective to prevent any further, unthinkable escalation."

While Celtic fans traditionally congregate in the Trongate and Merchant City, Rangers fans assembled in huge numbers in George Square when the Ibrox side last won the title in 2021.

Waddell said officers were keen to explore options and encourage the clubs to establish an organised event or fanzone to allow supporters to "celebrate safely and reduce the impact on the local community".

He added: "Despite these welcome efforts, Celtic Football Club has again failed to bring forward any plan or take any responsibility for the wider conduct and safety of supporters outwith the stadium.

"Should Celtic win the title on Saturday, we have again had to plan for thousands of supporters gathering in the Trongate area of the city as in previous years."

Waddell said the plan had led to the "unnecessary cancellation of rest days" for officers and staff.

And he warned: "Anyone intent on breaking the law and engaging in anti-social behaviour should be in no doubt that we will enforce the law to maintain public safety."

Police said Glasgow city centre would be busier than usual on Saturday and urged people to plan their travel - especially on public transport - in advance.

Waddell said the force has held similar discussions with Edinburgh City Council and Hearts to plan for an open-top bus parade on Sunday afternoon, should they win.

He said: "Again, Edinburgh would be much busier along the route and people should plan ahead to avoid travel delays."

Glasgow City Council also urged Celtic supporters ensure that any success on the field was not "followed by disorder off it".

A statement released on social media said: "This has a significant impact on the local community and businesses - while damage to buildings and infrastructure robs the public purse of hundreds of thousands of pounds that would otherwise be spent on the essential services we all rely on.

"We want supporters to be able to celebrate success but ask fans - including those visiting the city - to please avoid disruptive and unsafe mass gatherings at Merchant City/Trongate and other public places."

Celtic said only supporters who have a ticket for the 60,000 sell-out match should visit the stadium.

The club also urged supporters to arrive at the stadium as early as possible.

Hearts, who have been league leaders since September, will have the backing of fewer than 800 supporters at Celtic Park.

Celtic also confirmed it had held talks with Glasgow City Council.

The club statement continued: "We understand that the pressure placed on the city on such occasions is immense.

"We know there have been instances in the past which have proved difficult for the local community in terms of movement, obstructions and impact on emergency services.

"Glasgow City Council has committed to working together with football clubs on facilitating potential celebrations which would be meaningful to fans and less impactful on communities."

"Until these options can be delivered, we need to play our role in trying to relieve some of the pressures."

The club also highlighted that the Cancer Research 10k Race for Life event, which will take place on Sunday, required "significant planning and support from the city".

The statement continued: "If successful on Saturday, we would absolutely want our fans to enjoy their own celebrations, but given these events and the wider logistics, we would therefore discourage supporters from attending gatherings in the city centre this weekend, where there is no safety management in place and which have such a high impact on the city.

"The pressure which is placed on the city and its services clearly will be enormous and we want to do all we can to support the city."

Celtic also included an appeal from manager Martin O'Neill, who last won the title in 2004 during his first spell at the club.

He said: "It goes without saying that, if we are successful, we will all be looking forward to enjoying it but it's also important that we do so safely and responsibly.

"We want all our fans to be safe and ensure that we are mindful of others and our wider community.

"Our fans have such a great reputation for positively supporting the team and if we do achieve what we want at the weekend, we want that positive support to shine through again."