FOOTBALL supporters have been banned from carrying flags and banners to the Boxing Day clash between St Johnstone and Celtic.
A statement by the Perth club also came with a warning from Police Scotland that fans breaking the law at McDiarmid Park risk spending the Christmas period "locked up".
St Johnstone said it had taken the decision because of its belief that flags and banners have been used to conceal flares and other pyrotechnics in football grounds, adding that Celtic have agreed to the move.
The decision was announced after it emerged Celtic have lifted bans on most of the notorious Green Brigade section of fans who had been suspended as part of the investigation into damage at Motherwell's Fir Park stadium earlier this month.
The club has written to the most of the 128 suspended supporters telling them they are free to attend games while the probe is ongoing. It is understood those not offered a return have been identified as being associated with the Motherwell damage.
A Celtic spokesman said: "A number of suspensions remain in place. All investigations are very much ongoing and whilst this is the case it is reasonable to lift the suspension for some season ticket holders." However, most have snubbed the invitation due to their section having been broken up by the club.
The flags ban emerged after social media exchanges between Celtic's fans' liaison officer and supporters and was confirmed in a statement by St Johnstone.
The Perth club said: "Supporters will be aware that, regrettably, there has been a significant increase in the letting off of flares, smoke bombs and other pyrotechnics at games across the country this season.
"These are inherently unsafe not only for those around the devices but also for spectators in general, particularly those who suffer from breathing disorders. They also have the potential to set seats alight and burn flags.
"St Johnstone FC and Celtic FC fully support Police Scotland in their attempts to eradicate this nuisance from our game and as part of the planning process for this match between the three parties and other agencies, and as there have been several instances of flags being used as cover for the igniting of these devices, a decision has been taken that, for this specific fixture, flags and banners will not be permitted inside McDiarmid Park. Fans are asked to be considerate of this requirement in the interest of their own safety and the safety of others."
A police statement said: "Police Scotland has been working closely with both clubs and other agencies to ensure everyone enjoys the game in true festive spirit. But we also serve notice that anyone who falls foul of the law runs the risk of spending part of the Christmas period locked up."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article