The SPFL now has to consider the possibility of serious disorder at Celtic Park.

As we all know, later today the SPFL is going to render its judgement, such as it will be, on the Celtic ticket standoff with the Ibrox club.

I’ve already written about what I think should happen if the game here is serious about stamping out antisocial behaviour. You don’t get much more antisocial than what we have already watched at Ibrox this season.

The media hacks have been lining up to give their opinions on it, and of course they are entirely gutless.

Several of them have suggested that it is time all parties involved grew up. Isn’t that a despicable way to tell us to ignore hardcore violence inside a stadium? Isn’t it an atrocious thing for mainstream journalists to write, suggesting we are somehow overreacting or behaving childishly because we do not want violent thugs, who attacked our players, our staff and our fans, inside our house?

Matthew Lindsay claimed that one side’s fans were as bad as the other on the day. Tom English suddenly rediscovered his hearing and decided he does not like IRA chanting in the stands. Hugh Keevins, of course, rattled on as ever, making noise for the sake of it.

He suggested that everyone should get around the table and move on. He even pulled numbers out of thin air and claimed that only 70 of the Union Brats would be among the 2,000 Ibrox fans if they received tickets.

As though having 70 masked hooligans inside Celtic Park makes sense in any context.

Maybe if they are not allowed at Celtic Park, he should invite them over to his house. He clearly has no issue with them and seems to think the rest of us are overreacting.

All these guys are lucky today that I have more pressing business. I am not going to dismantle their arguments in full. I am not going to belittle or shame them, although doing so is necessary and would be very easy to do.

That is not to say I may not come back to them at some other time. That will depend on what the SPFL decides later today.

But there is a new angle to this now. There is a new edge to it. That is why their arguments, as poor, weak and pitiful as they are, do not require shredding.

They are already shredded.

The SPFL wants to make an expedited decision. I understand that. But now it has to make it in light of new information.

That new information is this: if Celtic win this game at the weekend and Hearts beat the Ibrox club on Monday night, then they will come to Celtic Park knowing that we can end their season. It won’t give us the title. It won’t be a league decider for Celtic. But it will end their faded hopes.

If we beat Hibs this weekend, and then beat the Ibrox club at Celtic Park, we would move seven points clear of them with six left to play. That is game over for them. Likewise, if Hearts open up a seven-point lead and then win their following game, the Ibrox club cannot catch them either, no matter what happens at Celtic Park.

The possibility that we will knock them out of the title race is very real. So, the possibility of serious disorder at that game is now much greater.

Our house will be a less safe place to be that afternoon, and that is the reality of the situation the SPFL has to make its determination on. If the SPFL allows the Union Brats into our stadium and there is serious disorder on that date, if we end their season and their fans respond with aggression and violence, whose fault is that going to be?

Celtic’s position is immeasurably stronger today because of yesterday’s result.

If the Ibrox club were coming to Celtic Park with nothing up in the air, nothing to play for and no issue being decided on the day, that would be one thing.

But there is now a very high chance that this could be the day their title challenge officially ends. When you are dealing with fans as volatile as theirs, and with a fan group that has reacted as it has to recent events, that is not an occasion where you would want them present.

This is not, and has never been, a plague on both our houses.

The problems in this fixture come from one club.

Everyone in the media knows the long history of violent behaviour from their supporters towards our fans, players and officials. But what we saw at Ibrox went beyond even that standard.

We ignore it at our peril. The SPFL can no longer do the same.

The governing bodies should seize any measure that limits the risk of disorder, and Celtic has made its position clear. If the SPFL rules against us at that hearing, it will enable a very dangerous situation.

The SPFL now has to weigh every variable around that match. Celtic will hammer that point home.

If the SPFL takes this decision away from our club, it accepts responsibility for whatever happens inside our stadium that afternoon. I doubt it wants that burden.

So, when that verdict comes in today, we will see what they decide to do.

Are they going to take the logical position? Or are they going to adopt the dangerous one? Those are their choices. The difference now is that the risk calculus has dramatically shifted, and so has the centre of blame.

This is going to be an interesting day, one way or the other.

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