The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Gerrard backs free viewing
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has backed Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s call for today’s Old Firm clash to be screened free of charge.
The opening derby battle of the season will take place at Celtic Park behind closed doors.
With pubs in Glasgow and across the central belt currently shut under temporary restrictions to combat Covid-19, Sturgeon is worried that fans without a Sky Sports subscription will gather in the homes of friends and relatives, increasing the risk of transmission.
Speaking on Thursday, the first minister said: “I would encourage Sky Sports this weekend to make the Rangers v Celtic match free to view for supporters as a small but important contribution they could make to helping keep people safe right now.” And Gerrard agrees, saying: “I certainly share the fans’ frustration because I know how desperately people want to watch their team, so it’s very difficult.
“So I think people need to do more for them and maybe put this game on free of charge so they don’t have to leave their own homes.”
However, SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has already dismissed the possibility.
He said giving the game away for free “wouldn’t be a reasonable thing to ask when they have invested so much in the product and in Scottish football”.
Meanwhile, Celtic boss Neil Lennon admits the absence of fans will make it an Old Firm derby like no other.
He said: “It is a huge ingredient that is going to be missing. The electricity, the atmosphere, the rawness, the noise – the colour.
“All that is going to be missing.
“You have to adapt to it as best you can.”
Lennon also says Celtic will want answers if Ryan Christie is absent from the match while fellow self-isolator Kieran Tierney plays for Arsenal.
The Park head boss claimed Celtic were told that Tierney, also told to self-isolate for 14 days, will be available to face Manchester City on Saturday.
“Our medical department have spoken to the (Arsenal) club doctor and they have been given the all- clear for Kieran to go ahead,” Lennon said.
“What we have been told is that in this jurisdiction, Ryan can’t be available to play, which we find strange.”