Callum McGregor has taken concerns over supporter behaviour directly to the Celtic board, as growing unease over pyrotechnics and disorder in Scottish football continues to mount.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has revealed that the Celtic captain flagged safety concerns after fireworks were launched from the stands during recent matches, with McGregor reportedly telling directors that, for the first time, players were genuinely worried about what was coming onto the pitch.
Celtic are already set to face restrictions in their next League Cup appearance at Hampden due to repeated breaches relating to pyrotechnics. The SPFL has reduced the club’s ticket allocation for the match as a disciplinary measure following persistent issues during last season’s League Cup campaign.
In one particularly alarming incident during two year’s ago in a cup final against Rangers, a long pole-like object appeared to be used to launch fireworks from the crowd. It was a moment that caught national attention and underlined the increasingly dangerous nature of what’s being smuggled into stadiums.
Recalling that incident, Maxwell said:
“Rangers played Celtic at Hampden and there was a lot of fireworks.
“There was a video online and a guy had a rocket. They are finding ingenious ways to get these things into grounds.
“I spoke to the Celtic board after it and one of them said Callum McGregor had gone to them and said that was the first time the players had actually talked about something coming onto the pitch.”
The SFA boss believes it’s time for players to speak up more widely, using their platform to encourage safer behaviour in the stands.
“At that point you go.. I think we need to use the players,” Maxwell told BBC Sportsound.
“The players are a fundamental part of trying to impact on that behaviour because with the best will in the world myself or Neil Doncaster or someone else saying ‘gonna not do that’ just makes people want to do it.
“But if players are going to supporters and saying ‘you are affecting our performance, you are getting in our heads, I’m worried when I’m taking a corner’ then that is a positive message.
“The more we can use that player platform to spread that message and make people aware of the danger then the better.
“It’s a player’s place of work and it’s not right they are taking a corner and there’s all sorts raining down beside them.”
Celtic also came close to punishment in Europe after a flare was set off during a match against Aston Villa. UEFA had already imposed a suspended two-year ban on away fans, but the club successfully argued their case and avoided further sanction.
Nonetheless, the warning signs are clear, and with senior players like McGregor now stepping in, there’s growing recognition that fan behaviour is having a real-world impact — not only on club discipline, but on the matchday experience for those on the pitch.
