Police Reminder Ahead of O’Neill's Old Firm Cup Clash

Police Scotland stepped into Celtic’s preparations on Friday, delivering what Martin O’Neill called “a timely reminder” about how his players conduct themselves in Sunday’s Premier Sport Cup quarter-final against Rangers.

This is no ordinary cup tie. It almost never is in Glasgow, but the backdrop this time is especially raw.

Both clubs have already been punished for last season’s Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, a night Celtic won on penalties but which descended into ugly scenes off the pitch. The fallout was severe: the Scottish FA ordered each side to play their next home Scottish Cup match behind closed doors.

Now Celtic return to Ibrox for the first time since that chaotic evening. They did host Rangers in May in the Premiership and won 3-1, but this is their first trip back across the city since the sanctions were handed down.

The authorities are taking no chances.

Police message lands in Celtic camp

O’Neill revealed that officers visited the club’s training base for a short, sharp briefing.

“We had the police come in today, just a little 15-minute meeting to remind us of our behaviour, which I think is a timely reminder,” the Celtic manager said.

He stopped short of detailing the full conversation, but the thrust was clear: what happens on the pitch can ripple far beyond the white lines.

“They didn't mention this, but I would have assumed that one of the things that would be considered is what happens in the field of play, because these things can be taken further,” O’Neill explained.

“You don't want any sort of punch-ups for a start. Secondly, you don't want excessive celebrations, stuff like that.

“But I think it's just the behaviour in the light of what has happened in recent fixtures. I think that the conversation with the police wouldn't have taken place had not recent events been brought up to us.”

The warning reflects a wider clampdown. The Scottish Professional Football League has already confirmed there will be no away supporters at any Old Firm derbies in the league or League Cup this season, an extraordinary step in a rivalry defined for decades by split stands and febrile atmospheres.

Derby without away fans

So Ibrox on Sunday will be a one-sided cauldron, at least in terms of colours in the stands. No Celtic support in the away corner, no pocket of green and white to roar at every tackle.

For O’Neill, that changes the feel, if not the fundamentals.

“I think the games themselves almost take care of themselves in that sense,” he said.

“It'll be strange in many aspects not to have any away fans in our area. I always felt as if it would give you a crumb of comfort in some description.

“Nervously looking forward to it, excitedly looking forward to it.”

The tension suits the stakes. Celtic arrive with the upper hand in recent meetings and in the table. They have won the last three derbies since Rangers’ 3-1 victory at Celtic Park in January and already sit five points clear in the Premiership after just six matches.

Momentum, on paper, is green.

Rangers under scrutiny, but stirring

Across the city, Derek McInnes has been wrestling with early-season criticism. Rangers’ start under their new manager drew fire from their own fans, the kind of scrutiny that only intensifies in Glasgow when Celtic are pulling away.

Results, though, have steadied. Rangers head into the quarter-final on the back of four straight wins, a run that has quietened some of the noise and restored a measure of belief at Ibrox.

O’Neill knows what that can mean when the whistle goes.

“I suppose if you get in front in the game, that makes them anxious,” he said.

“Talking about getting in front and getting in front are two different things. The crowd will be right behind their team, which you would expect.

“We just do our best. We know that we're up against a very fine side. We're up against a crowd that can make a difference. I'd be delighted to be celebrating something in the game.”

The message from the police was about restraint. The message from O’Neill to his players will be about control of a different kind: controlling the ball, the tempo, the occasion.

In a derby stripped of away fans and shadowed by past disorder, discipline might decide who walks away from Ibrox with more than just a place in the semi-finals.