Rangers refuse guard of honor for Celtic before derby draw

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Rangers opted against giving a guard of honor for newly crowned Scottish champion Celtic ahead of the 1-1 draw between the fierce Glasgow rivals on Sunday.

Celtic was playing for the first time since clinching the Scottish Premiership title last weekend to join Rangers on a national-record 55 championship crowns.

Ahead of the game, interim Rangers manager Barry Ferguson had indicated there would be no guard of honor for Celtic, saying it had never happened in the past, and that ended up being the case at Ibrox.

The champions were roared onto the field by around 2,100 of their own supporters, however. It was the first time away fans were in attendance at a derby at Ibrox since the 2-2 draw in January 2023.

Rangers looked well placed to follow up its victories from January and March over Celtic when Cyriel Dessers struck in the 44th minute.

Celtic striker Adam Idah equalized in the 57th to make it six games in a row without a victory in all competitions for second-place Rangers, which has now won just four of its 12 games under Ferguson and none at home since Feb. 2.

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