SOCCER:STRATHCLYDE POLICE have appealed for calm among Celtic supporters ahead of Sunday's Old Firm game amid fears they could be targeted in a similar form to the club's manager, Neil Lennon.
News that an explosive device intended for Lennon was recently intercepted – as were packages sent to the Celtic manager’s lawyer Paul McBride and the former MSP Trish Godman – has shocked Scottish football. Reports had suggested other Celtic supporters may also now be at risk but police figures have moved to play down that notion. The chief superintendent Ruaraidh Nicolson of Strathclyde police said yesterday: “I would like to make it absolutely clear that the people who have received these packages appear to have been targeted for comments they have made in recent weeks.
“We do not believe that this is a general threat to all Celtic supporters or other high-profile supporters of the club. We are giving appropriate advice to people who we believe should be getting it. It is really unhelpful to have lots of media and public speculation as to who has been receiving this guidance. It only serves to create further fear and alarm in our communities. I would ask, of course, that the public do remain vigilant.”
The police will implement intense security around Sunday’s derby. The force will have every available officer in Glasgow and a total of 1,000 officers across the region on duty related to the Ibrox game, which has the potential for trouble on account of its importance, timing – directly before a bank holiday Monday – and an increasingly volatile backdrop.
The Celtic dugout was guarded by police officers throughout Wednesday night’s win at Kilmarnock, a matter which is likely to continue for the remainder of the season at least. Although the club are unwilling to offer specific details, security surrounding Lennon himself has intensified once again in recent days.
The police appealed directly for three potential witnesses who were spotted in Kilwinning last Friday. A post box in the Ayrshire town is regarded by the police as “a focal point of the ongoing investigation into suspect packages sent to high-profile individuals”.
Youth-team players at St Mirren, Clyde and Motherwell are under investigation from their clubs after alleged remarks made about Lennon on social network sites. In one case, the 16-year-old Motherwell player Dean McLean is alleged to have written on his Twitter site: “Bombs sent in the post to neil Lennon GBPhilarious.”
Tomorrow, both halves of the Old Firm will look to show unity by arranging a joint press conference and photo call with former players. It is as yet unclear whether Lennon will meet the media as scheduled to preview the season’s final Glasgow derby.
The former Celtic striker and once Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee dismissed any theory these issues could force Lennon out of his current role. “Neil is entitled to, and is right to, go on,” McGhee said. “He deserves a great deal of credit for the mental toughness he has shown in the face of it. Neil is a guy who has been through things, he comes from a background where he’s aware of these sort of things so he will handle it as well as anyone.”
