Celtic chief Peter Lawwell refuses to indulge in 'public spat' with Rangers

Chief executive Peter Lawwell says Celtic will not get involved in a spat with Rangers after the Ibrox club accused the Parkhead support of a "sickening and shameful display of outright sectarian hatred".

Controversy was sparked during Saturday's Glasgow derby when the home support hung effigies from the stands at Celtic Park.

Rangers will hold talks with Club 1872 after the official supporter group called for the entire Celtic support to be barred from Ibrox when the teams next meet.

The match saw Celtic stroll to a 5-1 victory but the aftermath has been overshadowed by events in the stands.

Underneath a banner reading, "This is it Bhoys, this is war", two blow-up dolls - one wearing a Rangers scarf, the other an Orange sash - with nooses wrapped round their necks and arms tied behind their backs were hung from the upper tier.

Rangers officials said they shared the "disgust" felt by their fans following the display and Lawwell has promised to deal with the issue and 'take action' if necessary.

Ahead of the club's opening Champions League Group C tie against Barcelona at the Nou Camp he told TalkSport: "We will not get into a public spat or tit-for-tat situation. We try to operate to the highest possible standards.

"We will deal with these matters as we always do in a professional and private manner. But if there is anyone found in any way behaving in a manner that we don't like then we will take the action.

"But I don't think we want to sensationalise this, I think we want to put it into context. The overwhelming proportion of the supporters who were in the stadium gave us huge positive support and I don't think we should take it out of context.

"We should take it seriously and we will deal with it in the manner that we always do."