Celtic fans pay £3,000 for national newspaper ad that claims Old Firm derby died three years ago

ByEurosport

Published 06/05/2015 at 17:30 GMT

A group of Celtic fans have paid for a full-page advert in a Scottish newspaper to make the point that next Sunday's Scottish League Cup semi-final with Rangers will be the first meeting between the Glasgow clubs.

After Rangers went into administration and were liquidated three years ago, the advert is adamant that the traditional Old Firm moniker can no longer be applied to matches between the bitter Glasgow rivals.

Rangers began life again as a new club in the bottom tier of Scottish football after being liquidated, but Rangers fans maintain the history and bloodline of the 140-year old Ibrox club never died.

The death of the club has inspired Celtic fans to splash out before, of course. In the season that Rangers' imploded, they must have spent thousands on these banners, flags and decorations trumpeting the fact that the Old Firm clash in April 2012:

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Yup, that really is what you think it is. Let's take another look:

A number of newspapers in Scotland - including the Daily Telegraph and Daily Record - claimed at the time that the old Rangers died when the club was liquidated.

Others argue that Rangers - who are now in the Championship, a level below Scottish Premiership champions Celtic - didn't because it was the company that owned Rangers which died.

The advert in the Scottish Sunday Herald explains the intricacies of why the "old Rangers" no longer exists ahead of the first meeting between the two clubs since that game in April 2012. Or the first meeting between the two clubs. Depending on where you stand on the debate.

Confused? Yep. ED is too.

But at least Celtic fans don't seem to be. Spending thousands trolling fans of a club they claim no longer exists? It's a bit like driving 100 miles to somebody's house in order to tell them that you've no intention of paying a visit.

It's playground games, of course, but it will certainly add a bit of spice before next Sunday's big match at Hampden Park.

Not that such a fixture ever needs it.

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