Former Foundation of Hearts chief calls on Nicola Sturgeon to scrap Celtic v Rangers derby

Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to cancel this weekend’s Old Firm derby at Celtic Park amid fears over public safety.

Celtic Park will host tomorrow's Old Firm derby clash with Rangers. Picture: SNS

Labour MP Ian Murray, formerly the chairman of Hearts’ supporters group Foundation of Hearts, believes the First Minister has knowledge that people are planning to congregate to watch the match in other households.

Celtic and Rangers fans are unable to attend the match or watch it in a pub due to current lockdown restrictions as the Scottish Government look to halt the spread of Covid-19. It is the first clash of the season between the old rivals.

Ms Sturgeon warned fans against trying to gather or travel to England to see the game, but Murray feels there is only one real option if the public is to be properly protected from the spread of the virus.

He told BBC’s Good Morning Scotland: “We've got businesses in my constituency and right across Scotland closing down, we've got people worried about their livelihoods, we've got people really worried about the spread of Covid in this second wave and really if there's a threat to public health it should be postponed.

“And if it was I would fully expect the First Minister and the Scottish Government to come together with football to postpone the games that they feel might be a threat to public health.

“The First Minister obviously has some kind of data to show that people are threatening to or are likely to mix and households are likely to travel to watch the games.”

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