SAFETY fears are mounting ahead of the SPFL fixtures taking place on the King’s Coronation bank holiday weekend, with both Celtic and Rangers playing on the same day.
On Sunday May 7, Celtic are set to play Hearts at Tynecastle at 2.15 pm, while The Rangers will take on Aberdeen at Ibrox at 3 pm.
Police union leaders have criticised the scheduling of the matches, accusing TV companies of giving “troublemakers an opportunity” to cause carnage on the streets.
The timings mean Celtic fans could arrive in the city, to celebrate another league win, at the same time Rangers fans are getting out of Ibrox, sparking fears of clashes between rival fans.
In previous years, title celebrations have seen thousands of fans flood the city centre, with the Parkhead faithful staging impromptu street parties around the Merchant City.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, has said public safety should be dictating when games are played, instead of allowing television to dictate match times.
He added that police officers are already stretched due to budget cuts and reducing numbers, and that the weekend’s events will increase pressure on the thin blue line.
The SPF man said: [The Sun]
“It’s always a problem, not for the general fans but for the element that want to fight.
“That is always an issue for the service.
“You would have hoped they would’ve changed the times of the games so that didn’t happen.
“One of the issues being raised is that we allow television to dictate what times and dates our matches are on.
“We should be turning that on its head and public safety should be dictating when games are on — and that is something we would like to see happen.
“There is always a high risk of trouble with two sets of fans meeting at the same time but its not your general fans.
“The high risk is those that want to fight or cause trouble.
“I know the vast majority of Rangers and Celtic fans are law abiding citizens but it gives the troublemakers an opportunity that wouldn’t be there if this wasn’t happening at that time.
“They (cops) are stretched more and more, we don’t have the same number of police officers, we’ve reduced our numbers.
“We’ve got to make sure that our officers on the street are safe and that the public remain safe.
“So we will continue to lobby the Scottish Government for more police officers and better budgets
“Because as it stands at the moment, the way the budgets are, the way the numbers are going down — that’s not going to be safe for the public.
“If people decide to stay out and drink on Sunday, it could be quite busy in Glasgow and in other parts of the country.
“If the weather is good and it’s a nice sunny day — that is another element where people will want to stay out and have a drink and then sometimes things boil over. It always has an impact.
“However, I don’t think the police can do anything about that.
“They just need to police what is coming.
“What they can change is when the fixtures are played and there’s control there.
“You have no control what happens on Sunday into Monday but our cops will be extremely busy.”
Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland has urged everyone to enjoy the weekend responsibly and said that Police Scotland is working with a number of partners, including Glasgow City Council, to make sure everyone is prepared. He said:
“The bank holiday weekend is going to be a busy one for the city with a wide range of events.
“I hope that everyone enjoys themselves whether they are attending a sporting event, a Coronation street party, or the big screen at Glasgow Cathedral.
“Police Scotland is working with a number of partners, including Glasgow City council to make sure everyone is prepared.”
For Celtic fans, this bank holiday weekend could be a special one, with a win against Hearts seeing the Hoops clinch the league title. However, the scheduling of the matches has raised safety concerns, and it is important that the fans enjoy the celebrations responsibly and safely.
