Greatest Rivalries in Football - Celtic vs Rangers

The Glasgow derby, commonly referred to as the Old Firm derby, is one of the oldest and most complex rivalries in world football.

The two clubs involved are the most successful teams in Scottish football which would be an obvious reason for the teams to have become rivals over the years. This however cannot fully explain the massive hatred involved between both sets of supporters towards each other.

The fans of both clubs are largely concentrated in Glasgow but also throughout most towns in Scotland and many other cities around the world. Thus making the clubs the richest and most supported in the Scottish League.

It is apparent then that locality, ability, finances all contribute towards the rivalry that surrounds the Old Firm. In order to understand the ferocity of the rivalry one of these factors must contribute more than the others, religion.

The original support of Rangers was predominantly by people from the Protestant community, whilst Celtic have a historic association with Ireland and therefore a majority of supporters were of Catholic backgrounds. It now begins to become clear that sectarianism is a major influence in how the support for these two Glasgow clubs is calculated.

Because of the religion involved and the link to Northern Irish politics the history of the fans and their coming together has been laden with sectarianism violence.

Both Celtic and Rangers have had recent high profile altercations with football authorities because of sectarian incidents, and both clubs have openly admitted a problem with sectarianism.

Sectarian chants and songs can be heard frequently amongst both sets of supporters, this is not exclusive to when the teams are playing one another. This has caused for deep concern that supporters of the club are creating an image of their team that is not endeared by club officials.

George Urry, of the Rangers Supporters Association, said: “I firmly believe it is a small minority of fans but it doesn’t matter how often they are told, some people will just not listen.”

Celtic and Rangers usually face each other four times a season in the Scottish Premier League and this is more than most of the other fierce rivals in football face oppose each other. One of the most high profile clashes between the two sets of supporters came in 1993 after Rangers beat Celtic 3-0 to claim that season’s title.

A total of 113 people were arrested, mainly for drink-related offences, as trouble spread after the match. During the action, the referee, Hugh Dallas, needed stitches after being hit by a missile from the crowd and a Celtic fan was taken to hospital after falling from the upper tier of the stand.

It was not the first time the police had too be involved, not only with the Old Firm players themselves, but both sets of supporters. Acts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm are not uncommon as the supporters have clashed in the past where the game of football seems to be overlooked.

A survey undertaken by Glasgow City Council showed that 74% of Celtic fans were Catholics and 4% Protestants and Rangers fans to be 65% protestant and 5% Catholic. This may go someway to show the religious effect had on the following of these two clubs.

Both clubs have entered into schemes with the Scottish parliament and even church groups to show their stance that the sectarian element in the supporting of these clubs is unacceptable.

Players to watch out for this season-
  : Stokes, Samaras, Izaguirre, Forster, Kayal ( Celtic )
  : McCulloch, Templeton, Wallace, McKay, Clark ( Rangers )