Old Firm match called off
Old Firm match postponed after death of former Celtic player Phil O'Donnell
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Monday, 31, Dec 2007 04:31
The January 2nd Old Firm match has been postponed by the SPL as a mark of respect for Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, who died last weekend.
O'Donnell was in the process of being substituted at the end of Saturday's match with Dundee United when he collapsed and died.
The SPL decision comes after a formal request from Celtic, who O'Donnell played for between 1994 and 1999.
"These are never easy decisions but we recognise that, as a former player, Phil was part of Celtic's extended football family," said SPL company secretary Iain Blair.
"After consultation with Rangers, we agreed to postpone the Old Firm fixture on January 2nd."
Speaking earlier, Celtic captain Stephen McManus explained the club's request.
"Having met this morning as a group for the first time since Phil's death, the Celtic team, management and backroom staff feel very strongly that our match on Wednesday should be postponed as a mark of our sincere respect for Phil O'Donnell, a great player and a great man," he said.
"A number of our squad have very close connections to Phil's family and feel it would be inappropriate to proceed with this match at such a time, following such a tragic event.
"We understand sincerely the inconvenience and frustration a postponement would cause supporters of both teams, particularly those who travel long distances to games - and we fully respect the views of all fans on this matter.
"However, we feel that this would be the only correct decision. I hope that supporters would understand our position in such circumstances."
Rangers chief executive Martin Bain said the club had no objection to the match's postponement.
He told the Rangers website: "The SPL made contact with the club today to inform us that Celtic had requested the postponement of Wednesday's derby fixture following the death of Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell.
"Due to the tragic circumstances we had no objections to this request and we abide by the SPL's decision to reschedule the game."