The visiting support travelling to Glasgow for the Europa League tie will not be making its own way to Celtic Park. Beşiktaş supporters have been told to gather at Merchant Square from 3pm local time, with a police-escorted march to the stadium starting at 5pm. Kick-off is at 8pm local time.
The operation has taken on a sharper edge since Wednesday evening. Two officers on patrol on Sauchiehall Street were attacked at around 9.15pm as a large group of men gathered in the city center, with bottles thrown and one officer knocked to the ground. Neither officer required medical treatment. Sections of Douglas Street and Pitt Street were closed while the incident was dealt with.
Chief Superintendent David Robertson said the assault on officers would not pass without consequence.
“This violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, being assaulted is not part of the job.”
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Enquiries into the disturbance are continuing.
Instructions from the away club
Beşiktaş used its own channels to hand the Merchant Square meeting point to its travelling support, with a club statement spelling out the rules for the day.
“The possession or use of flares, signal fires, or any similar flammable or explosive materials, both in the city centre and inside the stadium, is strictly prohibited.”
Anyone found with those items would be subject to immediate detention by law enforcement, the club said, with a walking time of roughly 45 minutes expected between the muster point and Celtic Park.
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A first visit to Scotland
The game, the fourth round of the UEFA Europa League league phase, is Beşiktaş’s first fixture against a Scottish club. Celtic are looking for their first points in this season’s league phase after failing to win any of their opening three matches, while the Istanbul side have taken seven points from three.
The practice of marching away fans to a stadium under police escort is now a standard tool at high-profile European fixtures, used to keep rival supporter groups apart on arrival, limit flashpoints in bars and city squares, and give police a single column to manage rather than small groups spread across the city.
Thursday’s march will take Beşiktaş supporters from Merchant Square, in the Merchant City district a short walk east of George Square, through the city to Celtic Park in the east end of Glasgow. The match kicks off at 8pm local time.
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