CELTIC hooligans boasted of holding an organised brawl with Feyenoord ultras ahead of tonight’s Champions League fixture.
The Scottish and Dutch champions are set to face-off in their Group E opener at De Kuip in Rotterdam, Netherlands at 8pm.
But it is the hooligans and ultras of each club who claim to have already kicked off proceedings.
With fights inside stadiums now thankfully a rarity, hooligans now look to organise meet-ups and battles in the wilderness and secret locations.
And that appears to be the case this week for the hard nut supporters of Celtic and Feyenoord.
An image uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, by an account dedicated to Scottish football culture showed seven men lined up in a field.
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It was accompanied by the caption: “Arranged fight- Celtic Active Service Unit v Feyenoord, 7×7 50 seconds (win Feyenoord).”
The men in the picture had all their faces blurred out but were wearing the same branded green tops, and some wear martial arts-style wrist bindings or gloves.
The name “Active Service Unit” appears to be a reference to a notorious Provisional IRA a military cell who were tasked with carrying out armed attacks.
The Glasgow club has strong links with Ireland and some supporters are known to sing controversial sectarian chants.
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The social media post suggested the group of Celtic yobs lost their battle with the opposition.
Feyenoord’s ultras have also been pictured in social media posts ahead of the game.
One image details the threats of “Celtic not welcome” which have been spraypainted across the city ahead of the Scottish side’s visit.
Images were uploaded of the ultras posing with flags and banners which they claimed to have have stolen from Celtic fans.
They are also seen holding up their own banner, which reads: “Feyenoord Zero Tolerance.”
Symbols of certain movements and groups, such as the LGBTQ flag and the Star of David, can be seen beneath and have been crossed out with red lines in a sickening act.
With these organised fights kept strictly confidential, it is unknown whether there is any footage and the extent of the casualties.
Both clubs have a history of hooliganism among a small group of supporters.
A mob of Celtic fans were caught up in a street brawl with a group of Rangers hooligans before the two sides went head-to-head in the Scottish League Cup final in February.
And last November, 40 Celtic fans were thrown off a train at Albacete for hooliganism ahead of their Champions League fixture against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Feyenoord’s ultras are also no strangers to hitting the headlines, having attacked a group of Union Berlin team officials ahead of a Europa Conference League game in October 2021.
Victims included the German club’s President, Dirk Zingler, while a woman was hospitalised following the attack at a restaurant in Rotterdam.
Elsewhere across Europe today, a Newcastle fan was stabbed three times as the Magpies prepare to face AC Milan at the San Siro.
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Brit Eddie McKay, 58, was with his son when he was viciously attacked by seven or eight knife-wielding thugs wearing balaclavas around midnight.
Around 5,000 Toon fans have travelled to Italy for the club’s first Champions League match in 20 years.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
