Tuesday 10 April 2018 13:22, UK
Former Rangers manager Ally McCoist has given his backing to a potential Old Firm title clincher - but only if the police give the fixture their blessing.
Celtic face Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football, with Brendan Rodgers' side also just two points off being crowned Scottish Premiership champions.
The SPFL is expected to release the post-split fixtures later on Tuesday but it is understood to be keen to avoid pairing Celtic - who need just one more win to seal their seventh straight title - and Rangers together following the trouble-marred championship-decider in 1999.
Ally McCoist was in charge when Rangers stopped Celtic claiming the title on their own Ibrox patch with a 3-2 win in 2012, but the former Gers boss believes the police should have the final say on any title clincher this season.
"It wouldn't bother me in the slightest - I'd play Celtic at three o'clock in the morning in the back garden," McCoist told Sky Sports News. "But there are people with far more intelligence of these games that will make the decision.
"I think it's only fair the people who know enough about these games will make that decision. I'm very happy for the police to make that decision and if they say it shouldn't be the first, second or third game - then so be it."
Manchester United stopped rivals Manchester City winning the English Premier League against them with a 3-2 win at the Etihad last weekend.
Former Celtic and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan says a similar occasion is what people want but he agreed with McCoist that a decision must be made based on police intelligence.
"The whole world understands we'd like that to be a league decider," Strachan told Sky Sports News.
"But we've got fighting memories from a while back, and the government have got to say what's the best - because we want to promote the best of Scottish football.
"If the government can sniff something and police intelligence can sniff something, it's not going to be right. Then it's best for Scottish football it doesn't happen. They will know far better than me.
"We'd all like that decider, we got something like it with United-City and that was an extraordinary game.
"But this is different circumstances and you've got to allow police and government to decide what is the best to promote Scotland as well."
