Council chiefs admit relationship with Rangers and Celtic could be better

Staff at Glasgow City Council say they've not worked hard enough at their relationship with Celtic and Rangers over the years to mitigate the impact of title celebrations.

They've been in discussions with both clubs over the last few months about promoting the city internationally and getting a grip on large crowds gathering.

Director of communications, Colin Edgar, told Clyde 1: "If one of those Glasgow teams wins the Premiership this year the council will say well done - we don't really do that.

"We acknowledge we've not got the relationship right in the past and people realise that, but we are working to turn that around."

At least 20 arrests were made last May in connection with Celtic title celebrations which took place at the Trongate and spilled into the following morning.

The yearly tradition of fans gathering around town to party started back in 2021 when Rangers fans broke lockdown rules to mark their team winning.

Part of the reason why the local authority wants to work with the clubs is to promote the city internationally and get more tourists visiting.

Colin added: "Hopefully this year the celebrations won't be at the other side of the M8 but we need to recognise they can have an impact on businesses and communities.

"We don't think there is any other city in Europe where one of their teams has won the domestic league for decades.

"Nor do they have the international brand power."

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