FOOTBALL fans’ title parties are driving terrified tourists out of Glasgow and transmitting a negative image of the city around the world, it has been claimed in the wake of the unrest last month.
Tens of thousands of Celtic supporters descended on the Trongate for the third year running to celebrate their team being presented with the cinch Premiership trophy a fortnight ago.
The vast majority of those in attendance at the unorganised gathering behaved and enjoyed themselves – but fights broke out between inebriated fans and videos of the brawls were shared on social media websites.
Scott Thornton, the secretary and vice-chair of the Merchant City and Trongate Community Council, has received numerous complaints from local residents and businesses about the devastating impact of the disorder.
However, Thornton, who runs a public relations agency and works in the tourism industry, has also received first hand reports from holidaymakers who were alarmed by what they encountered when they entered the area.
“A lot or people put a lot of money into promoting Glasgow as a city of culture, a city of finance, a city rich in history,” he said. “We try to get in tourists and welcome tens of thousands of students from around the world.
“But what happened on May 18, which was a re-run of what happened 12 months earlier and 12 months before that, was horrible. We cannot have a major part of Scotland’s largest city turned into a no-go area whenever football fans decide to take it over.
“Police were left powerless. Senior police officials have told us that if they had got tough then there would have been a major riot. They couldn’t inflame the situation any further by stopping fans flooding in from Parkhead.
“But these videos which have been shown following the events on May 18 and May 25, of fans fighting among themselves, of fans rampaging through the city centre, do not portray a good image of city of Glasgow.
“The Rangers ultras who marched through the Trongate on the morning of the Scottish Cup final looked as though they were trying to hunt down Celtic fans. The police did their best to intercept and divert them. But it is a difficult situation for them to control.”
Thornton added: “I was speaking to a French tourist on the evening of May 18 after the Celtic fans’ title party. He came from just outside Paris and he was saying that he had been terrified by what he witnessed.
“He tried to get dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the Merchant City and ended up running away from crowds of fans. He said to me, ‘When I get home I’ll tell people to watch out when they go to Glasgow – and to make sure there isn’t a football match on’.
John Mason, the SNP MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, asked if clubs could be punished with fines, points deductions and stadium closures for the misconduct of their fans during a discussion in Holyrood last week.
Thornton revealed the members of the Merchant City and Trongate Community Council are in favour of tough action being taken in a bid to prevent further scenes of affray following trophy victories in future.
“As far as we are concerned, Glasgow City Council has made no meaningful attempt to sort out this mess,” he said. “Ward councillors have told us there is an ongoing dialogue with the clubs.
“But we think it is time to stop kicking it into the long grass. It is far too important for the image of football and the image of Glasgow.
“The time has come for Celtic, Rangers and Glasgow City Council to stop sitting on their hands and pretending this isn’t happening. There have been suggestions that a secure fan zone should be set up when a team wins a trophy. I think they would be difficult to set up and police.
“There is an increasing demand among residents and businesses for clubs to be punished for fan disorder, similar to what happens in Europe. There is also an argument for saying the clubs should pay for the damage which is incurred.
“It would be small beer for them, less than a week’s wages for one of their players. Clubs have got to stand up and be counted. Glasgow City Council must have spent a small fortune tidying up the mess.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We’ve spoken to both clubs about organised celebrations in various forms, but we have been clear these come with a set of challenges and do require an event organiser.
“Should any club wish to pursue organised celebrations, at any scale, we would welcome this and work with them to review any plans. Open top bus parades have been part of our discussions and plans are in place should either make a request for such an event.
“There are licensing and legislative requirements around an alternative uses for either stadia, but we have committed to work with the clubs to ensure we can deal with these appropriately.”
