Hostile rivalry persists as Rangers announce they will not bestow a ceremonial honour upon Celtic.
Rewritten Article:
Sunday's Premiership match at Ibrox Stadium between Rangers and their arch-rivals Celtic will see no guard of honor for the champions, according to interim Rangers boss Barry Ferguson. The fierce rivalry between the Scottish powerhouses remains undiminished.
Last weekend, Celtic clinched a 13th Scottish Premiership title in 14 seasons, securing an unassailable lead with four games still to play. Moreover, they matched Rangers on 55 Scottish league titles each, a feat that will undoubtedly sting the blue half of Glasgow before the Old Firm Derby.
Addressing Sky Sports, Ferguson stated, "It's never happened before, and there's been this huge fuss about it. I don't think it bothers the players, and it shouldn't matter to us." He further added, "I'll shake Brendan's hand and tell him well done for being so dominant. It hurts, but that's the nature of the game."
In a similar vein, when Steven Gerrard's Rangers won their 55th title in 2020-21, Celtic's then-interim boss John Kennedy refused to clap their rivals who denied them a 10th consecutive title.
Celtic's manager, Brendan Rodgers, was unbothered either way about a guard of honor. "It's a mark of respect, and I am a traditionalist," he said, acknowledging the emotional intensity of the Celtic-Rangers rivalry.
The Old Firm Derby's heated history likely underpins the reluctance to display ceremonial concessions, with clubs preferring to prioritize competitive pride over tradition.
In contrast, English football side Chelsea will adhere to tradition by offering a guard of honor to newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday.
The guard of honor tradition in football serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of a rival team's title victory, rooted in sportsmanship and respect. While it symbolizes mutual respect between clubs, it often faces resistance in fiercely contested derbies such as the Celtic-Rangers rivalry. Fan sentiment and club discretion play significant roles in shaping this unwritten rule.
- Enzo, a football enthusiast, often expresses his thoughts on the controversial topic of guards of honor during Old Firm Derbies, stating, "I believe humility should prevail in sports, and a guard of honor is an appropriate gesture to display mutual respect to the champions."
- The European leagues have seen guards of honor more regularly than Scottish ones; indeed, English teams like Chelsea typically adhere to tradition by offering the honor to the champions.
- With Enzo being a fan of Scottish teams, he finds it intriguing that neither Rangers nor Celtic have bothered to grant guards of honor to their rivals in recent seasons, highlighting the fierce intensity of the rivalry.
- In the midst of the heated debate about whether Rangers should offer a guard of honor to Celtic during Sunday's Premiership match, some spectators have pointed to Enzo's calls for humility and sportsmanship in football, hoping that both teams might one day find room for such values in the heated Old Firm Derby.
