Scotland should be proud of Old Firm games

// Published December 19, 2011 by isport

Scotland should be proud, not ashamed, of Old Firm clashes, according to Rangers chief operating officer Ali Russell.

Games between Rangers and Celtic have been steeped in controversy lately and the Scottish Cup replay which took place in March resulted in a government summit on the matter.

That game saw three players sent off and a touchline argument between the two management teams and the ultimate result of the ill-tempered game was the creation of an action group to look at what impact the Old Firm clashes have on wider social problems in Scotland.

However, when the two clubs meet just after Christmas, Russell wants the focus to be on the football and sense of occasion rather than other matters.

Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “The Old Firm fixture is absolutely amazing for Scottish football and for Scotland.

“The amount of coverage it gets both within the country and outside it is vast. We’ve got over a billion households in over 100 countries having the match beamed into them.”

Russell added that the game gets seven times the average TV audience for Scottish Premier League games, something which he believes is down to the match being a “massive spectacle”. People who following the football betting online may well agree.

Rangers and Celtic clash for the second time this season on December 28th, with the Gers having won the last match 4-2.

The clash could prove vital in the title race, with Celtic four points behind Rangers in the SPL title race.