A senior police officer criticised Celtic on Friday for failing to put plans in place for an official title party if the club retained the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, as the city braced for another tense day around one of the closest championship races in years. Celtic needed to beat Hearts at Parkhead at 12:30 to seal the league for the fifth year in a row.
Alan Waddell said police wanted clubs to work with them on an organised event or fanzone so supporters could celebrate safely and reduce the impact on the local community, warning against the sort of mass gatherings that have caused trouble before. Police Scotland said it had a comprehensive plan focused on minimising disruption to local communities and avoiding widespread disorder.
The warning came after Celtic urged fans on Friday to avoid mass gatherings that would have a high impact on the city. Officers and Glasgow City Council have been in talks with Celtic and Rangers throughout a title race that has been decided by the smallest of margins, with Celtic’s place at the top confirmed only on Wednesday after a 99th-minute VAR-awarded penalty against Motherwell.
The police concerns are rooted in recent history. Celtic fans gathered in their thousands in the Merchant City and Trongate after previous title wins, while celebrations in 2024 led to 19 arrests and left four officers injured. Rangers fans had done the same in George Square in 2021 when their side last won the title. On Friday, officers even removed glass from bus stop shelters as a precaution.
The football authorities were also dealing with a separate flashpoint. The Scottish Football Association said referee John Beaton and his family spent the previous night at home under police surveillance after personal details were leaked online. Police Scotland said a 19-year-old man had been arrested and charged in connection with a data protection offence after a complaint about information being shared online relating to a Scottish football official.
Hearts, for their part, were preparing for their own celebration plan. If they took the point they needed, the Edinburgh club expected to stage an open-top bus parade through the city on Sunday in pursuit of their first title since 1960. Derek McInnes called the match “box office”, and by Saturday morning the feeling around it was exactly that: one game with the power to decide not just a championship, but what the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh would look like afterward.
The tension for police is no longer about whether football supporters will celebrate. It is about whether the clubs and the authorities can channel that emotion into something orderly before it spills into places never meant to carry it.
