The Greatest Rivalries: Rangers Versus Celtic

In this, the second installment of The Greatest Rivalries series, I will be exploring the background to another of World Football's most conflict ridden derbies.

Despite Scottish domestic football having declined in importance on the world stage over the past decades, it seems that the Old Firm games between Rangers and Celtic have, almost paradoxically, become more intense.

The obvious reason for this is that nowadays there is a bigger media focus on the games with the advent of digital television and the Internet. This means that football fans all over the world have been caught up in the fervour of intensity surrounding games between Scotland's two biggest clubs.

But from where was this intensity born?

Whether fans of the Old Firm clubs like it or not, the Glaswegian footballing rivalries remain inexorably linked to Northern Irish sectarian politics.

Celtic, as their name suggests, remain a focal point for the Irish immigrant community in Glasgow, and as such have deep roots with Irish Catholicism.

Conversely, Glasgow Rangers have strong ties with the Scottish Protestant community.

The background of the rivalry suggests a dichotomy between Catholic and Protestant, Loyalist and Republican. The result is a rivalry which extends beyond the normal "city"  derbies found in Britain—with a history saturated by sectarian violence and, on rare occasions, even deaths.

Another interesting consequence of the complex political and religious intricacies of the Old Firm rivalry is that fans rarely identify themselves as Scottish at games. Fans usually either wave the Irish tricolor (Celtic) or the Union Flag (Rangers), depending on their respective allegiances—as you can see from the picture above.

With such seemingly clearly defined boundaries in the rivalry, it has been rare for these extreme lines to be blurred—so on the pitch only a handful of players have represented both clubs.

One current example is that of Kenny Miller, who Rangers fans were more than sceptical about when he initially arrived at the club.

Indeed, it has often been reported that Rangers had an "unwritten policy" of not signing anyone who was openly Catholic. That all changed with the signing of Mo Johnston in 1989, a player who had already represented Celtic and was a fan of the Parkhead club.

Despite not being the first Catholic player to play for the club, he was by far the most high profile and had even previously claimed "Celtic are the only club I want to play for".

This was a turning point for Rangers, who then committed themselves to an open transfer policy regardless of religious background. Since then, many Catholic players have plied their trade at Ibrox—the most obvious example being the Gers' former captain, Italian Lorenzo Amoruso.

Amongst fans however, it is a case of "old habits die hard"—many Rangers fans saw the signing of Mo Johnston as a betrayal of the clubs' traditions.

Furthermore, a recent (2003) Glasgow city council survey showed that 74% of Celtic fans identified themselves as Catholics, and only 4% as Protestants.

Conversely, 65% of Rangers fans claimed they were Protestants, and only 5% as Catholics.

It is altogether unsurprising then that both clubs have in recent years admitted there is a problem with sectarianism. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the clubs have found it difficult to work together to combat the problem.

Despite both clubs launching initiatives such as Bhoys Against Bigotry and Pride over Prejudice, a significant reduction in sectarian violence between supporters seems unlikely whilst the clubs remain unable to co-operate effectively.

A particular sticking point appears to be chanting at games. In 2006, Rangers were fined £13,500 by UEFA for the conduct of supporters during a Champions League tie against Villarreal. UEFA have also insisted Rangers prohibit the singing of the song "Billy Boys" at games.

Celtic, for their part, have defended the singing of Irish Ballads at their matches, and have refused to draw up a list banning certain provocative songs.

Whilst it is a virtual impossibility to remove sectarianism from this clash (to do so completely would alter irrevocably the nature of the rivalry, and nobody would really want that), the nasty, ferocious air of conflict and violence that can hang over the city of Glasgow during these clashes is still a concern.

Allegiances towards the Old Firm clubs can define huge parts of Glaswegian life, and this rivalry only serves to enhance the reality of the old adage from one of Scotland's most famous sons, Bill Shankly:

"Some people think football is a matter of life and death, I can assure you it is much more serious than that!"

You can read the first part of The Greatest Rivalries here.