Police officers attempted to separate the two sets of supporters in Glasgow City Centre, ahead of the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park, as Christmas shoppers were forced to hide
Clashes between hundreds of Rangers and Celtic fans in Glasgow city centre forced terrified Christmas shoppers to take cover in local shops on Sunday.
Police officers were spotted on Argyle Street trying to separate the rival supporters before the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park, due to kickoff at 3:30pm. As the chaos unfolded, Christmas shoppers took refuge in nearby shops.
Video footage on social media showed fans of the two clubs, donning Santa hats and setting off flares, sprinting down the bustling shopping street while police try to calm the situation.
After the disturbance, a large group of Rangers fans were seen being led up Union Street and near Central Station to board trains heading towards the game.
In one social media video, a woman can be heard urging shoppers to come inside, saying: “Oh my god. Get in!”. The women can be heard screaming in shock at the chaos in front of them.
Other clips of the incident appear to show police struggling to deal with the large groups, mostly wearing black, with claims it involved the Union Bears and The Green Brigade – plus shoppers who were caught up in the scenes.
The two sides meet for the first domestic piece of silverware on offer in Scotland this term, with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is looking for tangible proof of their impressive start to the season.
His side have only lost once in 24 games this season, sit nine points clear in the William Hill Premiership and are well-placed to qualify for the Champions League knockout phase play-offs. Their unbeaten domestic record stretches back 30 matches but the League Cup trophy is the one domestic cup which has not been in their cabinet over the past 12 months.
Rodgers said: “Well, we don’t have it, so that is something that we didn’t take last season, and clearly it’s the first trophy of the season. We’ve had a brilliant season up until now, and this would be a great way to have something tangible to show for that.
“But you have to earn it, and that’s what we’re ready for.”
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