Glasgow police have warned Celtic and Rangers players to be on their best behavior in Sunday’s highly charged Co-operative Insurance Cup final at Hampden Park.
Officers met players from both clubs on Friday to warn them about any repeat of the mayhem at Parkhead earlier this month.
Three Rangers players were sent-off as Celtic advanced in the Scottish Cup that night on a 1-0 scoreline.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon, banned from the sidelines for Sunday’s game and avoiding the media at present, was charged by the Scottish FA after he was involved in altercations with Rangers coach Ally McCoist and striker El-Hadji Diouf.
The Scottish government ordered a high level inquiry into the ugly incidents on a night that saw 34 arrests inside the stadium
Lennon’s assistant Johan Mjallby will lead the team out for Sunday’s Cup final and revealed the police have spoken to both sets of players.
“The police are coming to visit us after training and we will take on board what they told us,” said Mjallby.
“It is fine, it is great. They are going to tell us what they expect from us and it something we will listen to.
“I don’t know what they are going to say but we will listen. To be honest, I don’t know too much about the visit but I’m sure it is an important one.
“It’s great that they will come to tell us what to do and what will happen if something breaks out. But I don’t expect anything to happen on Sunday.
“Obviously they want to stamp their authority on things, which is their right. But right now we are just thinking about our team.”
Celtic go into the match on a high after Wednesday night’s 2-1 Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Caledonian Inverness Thistle. They now face Aberdeen in the semis.
Striker Georgios Samaras has double cause for celebration after signing a new three year contract with the Scottish League leaders.
The Greek international has scored 42 goals in 136 appearances for the Hoops and has recently struck up a potent partnership with Gary Hooper.
“I want to stay at this club and I am really happy about the deal,” said Samaras.
“I have been four years at the club and the support I have from the people inside and outside the club is magnificent.
“It is a big club who tries to win every game and win trophies and that is the reason I signed for another three years.
“We took our time but I gave my word to the gaffer that I would not sign a pre-contract with another club.
“I had some conversations with the club and took our time to make the right decision.”
Celtic assistant manager Mjallby added: “It is a great signing. “He is the type of player that we want to keep at the club.
“He has got something special, on the day, when he plays his best football he is sometimes unplayable.
“That is great because when you work at a club like Celtic you want to improve the team and it is important to keep players like him.
“Everyone in the coaching staff was happy to keep him.”
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