Aberdeen and Celtic cancel Scottish Cup victory plans
Aberdeen and Celtic have each cancelled plans for a victory celebration in the event of a Scottish Cup final win.
The move comes after Britain’s terror threat was raised to “critical” levels following Monday’s terror attack in Manchester, which left 22 people dead and 59 injured after a suicide bomber targeted crowds at an Ariana Grande concert.
With security services stretched across the country, both clubs have agreed to bin their plans following discussions with Police Scotland.
For clubs outside of Glasgow it is traditional to celebrate with an open top bus parade around the city, while Celtic were expecting to show off the trophy to supporters congregating around Celtic Park.
The Ladbrokes Premiership champions, who will be looking to clinch the treble with a win on Saturday, have also cancelled plans for a Heroes and Legends bus parade to help celebrate the Celtic FC Foundation match, which will take place at Parkhead on Sunday.
A statement on the Celtic website read: “Following the recent tragic events in Manchester, and further to liaison and discussion with Police Scotland, Celtic Football Club today outlined some important safety announcements in advance of this weekend’s matches.
“Clearly, with absolute respect to Aberdeen Football Club, we would not wish to pre-judge the outcome of the Scottish Cup final in any way. However, it is very important that supporters are fully aware of all organisational arrangements which may affect them.
“In the event of Celtic being fortunate enough to win the Scottish Cup, the club would like to confirm that the team would not be able to ‘present’ the trophy to supporters back at Celtic Park and there would be no supporters’ event there. “Therefore, we urge Celtic supporters not to travel to or congregate at Celtic Park following the match.
“Given the situation and the pressure on police and security resources, we are sure that our supporters will fully understand these measures which have been taken. We thank all our fans for their assistance and co-operation.”