Two commentators are said to have unintentionally christened one of the most well-known rivalries in football when they likened Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic to ‘two old, firm friends’1. The ‘Old Firm’ rivalry, as it is now known, rarely has friendship on the cards.Rangers were formed in 1872 in West End Park in the Woodlands area of Glasgow by a group of young men wanting to turn their footballing hobby into a more formal affair. They quickly drew in large crowds of supporters from the predominantly protestant shipbuilding industry. (The religious tensions then present in the city have caused speculation that the industry had in place a ‘Catholics need not apply’ policy, however there is no evidence such a policy existed in Glasgow.) Celtic were formed soon after, in 1887, in a small Catholic church hall just east of Glasgow’s city centre, initially as a social enterprise to help the poor in the area. Later it was hoped that the formation of a football team would not only help raise funds, but also unify the Irish settlers in the area. From humble beginnings, their association with proud Irish immigrants, many of whom had fled Ireland’s potato famine of 1845–52 in search of a new life, quickly grew them into one of the biggest clubs in the country.The already entrenched divide between protestants and Catholics in the city became amplified when the tribalistic nature of club allegiance was added to the mix. And sure enough, one-hundred-and-fifty years of the Old Firm fixture has produced games of passion and fierce competition, and the rivalry has become one of the best known globally. During the 2010–2011 Scottish Premier League season, on 2 March 2011, in a game played in front of two simmering sets of fans at Celtic Park, Celtic defeated Rangers 1–0 in a hard-fought encounter. After the full-time whistle much carried on as normal that week, with pundits dissecting the game on television, as would friends over a drink in pubs all over Glasgow. The mood, however, soured when two packages addressed to Celtic manager Neil Lennon were found, one in a post box and another later intercepted at a sorting office. Each package contained what appeared to be a crude bomb, assembled using chemicals and sharp objects. Lennon was a 39-year-old Catholic from Lurgan, County Armagh in Ireland, and similar parcels were sent to his lawyer, as well as to Trish Godman, a Member of the Scottish Parliament, who had worn a Celtic shirt as a charity dare on the final day of parliament before elections.The perpetrators were later found to be Rangers fans Trevor Muirhead and Neil McKenzie. The men were jailed for conspiracy to assault (rather than attempted murder) when during the trial it was deemed that the bombs were not capable of exploding and were only intended to scare the recipients.2Political, cultural and sociological differences are not unusual between football clubs and their associated fans. The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, known as El Clásico, is a notable example. Barcelona fans are often seen as being more Catalan nationalist and politically left-wing, while Real Madrid fans are more likely to be Spanish nationalist and politically right-wing. However, the Old Firm rivalry draws upon divisions rooted in a bitter historical past which imbues it with that extra edge. The rivalry is closely linked to the Troubles of Northern Ireland, a period of fluctuating violence between Irish Nationalists and British Unionists. Many Celtic fans, given the club’s Irish heritage, support the reunification of Ireland and pro-Ireland groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) (a paramilitary group) and Sinn Fein (a political party). Rangers fans, drawing upon their protestant roots, typically remain loyal to the union with Britain and support groups such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), formed to combat the IRA. The motives of the two men who decided to go a step further with their bomb hoax provide an insight into the more extreme aspects of the rivalry. The two men were close friends. Muirhead was found to have engaged in openly anti-Catholic activities online, and in incriminating his co-conspirator claimed that McKenzie had ‘pure hatred’ towards Lennon and Celtic.3Celtic and Rangers fans also split on other political fronts. Whether it being pro or anti-monarchy, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, or just general left or right wing views, it is almost certain that if Rangers fans are pro the idea, then Celtic fans will normally oppose it (and vice versa).The actions of Muirhead and McKenzie have been roundly condemned by all sides and only represent the extremist fringe of Rangers supporters. The historical socio-political allegiance of each club, however, is exactly what makes the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers an enticing prospect for the footballing world at large. Every ardent football fan will claim that the club that they support is an important part of their identity, but when one’s club is also intrinsically tied to one’s politics, religion and cultural identity, then the passions involved are indeed more genuine. Football becomes much more than just a game.