Britain's biggest pub chain "will black out next month’s Old Firm game over fears of violence," according to Norman Silvester of the Scotland DAILY RECORD.
Wetherspoon said that the League Cup semifinal "will not be shown in their pubs in Glasgow."
And despite the blackout, all nine of the bars "will have extra security staff on duty when Celtic and Rangers meet for the first time since April 2012." Wetherspoon, which has more than 75 pubs in Scotland, said that area managers "will decide if their bars outside Glasgow will show the game."
Police fear the 1:30pm kick-off time for the Feb. 1 game "will give fans time to drink before the match and possibly fuel trouble" (DAILY RECORD, 1/18). The SCOTSMAN reported Glasgow Licensing forum Chair Donald MacLeod said that "the majority of bars in Glasgow would show the match." MacLeod: "Pubs are already required to put strict safety measures in place on match days as a condition of their licence. This includes providing properly trained and badged stewards. The vast majority of fans watching Old Firm games in pubs do so peacefully. Only a small minority cause trouble. Crime in pubs and clubs is down and most incidents take place in the street" (SCOTSMAN, 1/18).
