Glasgow’s ‘Old Firm’ have the oldest enduring rivalry in club football. Rangers and Celtic emerged as two of the most successful teams in Scotland in the late nineteenth century, and their city rivalry was later intensified by social tensions in the West of Scotland between the Protestant working class and Irish Catholic immigrants, especially after the First World War. Sectarian divisions arguably consolidated each club’s support, ensuring their dominance of Scottish football for most of the 20th century and into the 21st. The Old Firm have thus become emblematic of sectarianism, described as ‘Scotland’s secret shame’, and numerous politicians, church leaders and campaigners have sought to put an end to the offensive songs and chants, from IRA slogans to ‘The Sash’ and the ‘Famine Song’.

Does the Old Firm rivalry still reflect sectarianism in Scottish society, or is ‘football sectarianism’ simply a variation of the normal football rivalry found in other cities across the world? Is abusive behaviour at football matches a harmless ‘safety valve’ for pent up aggression, or an expression of dangerous passions in need of policing? Is there a danger of sanitising football, and ruining the enjoyment of fans in a bid to stifle ultimately meaningless banter?