Reframing Identity in Modern Glasgow

Few sporting rivalries in world football are as emotionally charged as that between Rangers F.C. and Celtic F.C. Officially rooted in Glasgow, the two clubs are presented as embodiments of Scottish, Irish, Protestant, or Catholic identity. Yet a deeper examination — particularly from linguistic and institutional perspectives — complicates that narrative.

This article advances a provocative thesis: that both clubs function less as organic expressions of Scottish or Irish culture and more as products of Anglicised identity structures embedded within British state frameworks. From the anglicisation of language to institutional failings and sectarian division, the Old Firm may reflect English political and cultural dominance more than Celtic authenticity.

The Linguistic Question: “Celtic” vs. Ceilteach

Language shapes identity. The name “Celtic” appears to invoke Gaelic heritage, but its spelling and pronunciation tell another story.

In Scottish Gaelic, the word for “Celtic” is Ceilteach. The anglicised “Celtic” reflects English phonetic norms rather than Gaelic linguistic tradition. Gaelic orthography is systematic and internally consistent, whereas “Celtic” as pronounced in Glasgow football culture aligns with English usage rather than native Gaelic phonology.

This distinction is not trivial. Anglicisation historically accompanied political centralisation under English rule. Gaelic words were reshaped, simplified, or replaced to fit English linguistic standards. Thus, even the name of Celtic Football Club embodies an English-mediated representation of “Celticness,” rather than a truly Gaelic articulation.

The irony is striking: a club widely associated with Irish Catholic identity carries a name filtered through English linguistic authority. If identity is encoded in language, then “Celtic” itself signals assimilation rather than preservation.

Institutional Structures: English Governance Frameworks

Both clubs operate under the structures of the Scottish Football Association, itself historically embedded within British sporting governance traditions. Modern corporate governance, financial regulation, and league organisation follow British — not uniquely Scottish — institutional models.

Rangers’ financial collapse in 2012, involving administration, liquidation, and the formation of a new corporate entity, exposed deep institutional vulnerabilities. Debates over sporting continuity versus corporate rebirth highlighted how commercial structures often override communal identity narratives.

Celtic, while more financially stable, has also operated within the same corporate-commercial football model shaped by English Premier League economics and UK broadcasting structures. The commodification of rivalry — marketed internationally as a spectacle — mirrors English football’s entertainment model.

If both clubs function economically and legally within British corporate frameworks, their claim to represent distinct ethnic or religious communities becomes blurred. They are corporate entities first; cultural symbols second.

Institutional Controversy and Governance Failures

It would be inaccurate to portray either club as uniquely criminal institutions. However, both have been associated at times with governance controversies, fan disorder issues, and regulatory investigations.

Rangers’ tax case and subsequent liquidation raised questions about financial oversight and sporting integrity. Celtic has faced scrutiny over fan behaviour and regulatory compliance in various contexts. Importantly, these controversies reflect systemic issues within British football governance rather than uniquely Scottish cultural phenomena.

Institutional accountability failures are not signs of “Scottishness” or “Irishness.” They are features of a commercial sports model deeply shaped by English legal and corporate traditions.

Sectarian Division: Manufactured Identity?

The Protestant–Catholic divide associated with the Old Firm is often presented as an imported conflict reflecting Irish history. Yet within Glasgow itself, sectarianism has frequently operated more as a social marker than a theological dispute.

The rivalry’s intensity rests less on doctrinal differences and more on inherited identity categories — categories amplified by political narratives throughout British history. The British state historically managed Ireland through sectarian division. Those fault lines were exported to Scottish industrial cities during periods of Irish migration.

Thus, the divide may be understood not as an organic Scottish religious struggle, but as a by-product of British imperial governance strategies. If sectarian identity becomes a tool of social fragmentation, then football becomes its stage.

The city becomes divided into symbolic territories. Streets, pubs, and even neighbourhood identities align with club allegiance. Yet the economic and political structures governing both communities remain shared.

The question arises: who benefits from this division?

Glasgow: The Largest Scottish Stage

Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and its industrial heart. For over a century, Rangers and Celtic have operated as identity anchors within working-class communities shaped by poverty, migration, and economic upheaval.

But while supporters debate heritage and loyalty, ownership structures, television contracts, and league politics remain controlled within broader UK systems. The spectacle of division distracts from structural commonality.

In this sense, the Old Firm may function less as authentic expressions of Scottish plurality and more as stabilising mechanisms within a British framework — providing ritualised conflict while preserving overarching institutional unity.

Englishness Without Acknowledgment?

To call Rangers and Celtic “English clubs” is deliberately provocative. They are geographically Scottish. Yet culturally and institutionally, they are embedded within British — and historically English-dominated — systems of governance, language, and commerce.

Their branding relies on simplified ethnic narratives:

• Rangers: Protestant, Unionist, British.
• Celtic: Catholic, Irish diaspora, Celtic heritage.

Yet both operate in English as their primary language. Both use corporate governance models derived from English company law traditions. Both depend financially on UK-wide broadcasting agreements. Both have cultivated global brands in line with Premier League marketing strategies.

The Old Firm may therefore represent not Scottish or Irish authenticity, but British consolidation.

The Case for Disbandment: A Radical Proposal

If the rivalry perpetuates division rather than unity, and if both clubs function as corporate entertainment vehicles detached from genuine community empowerment, then some argue the structure itself should be questioned.

Calls for disbandment arise from frustration:

• Persistent sectarian chanting.
• Cycles of social division.
• Commercial exploitation of identity.
• Governance controversies.

Disbandment, in this framing, is less about punishing supporters and more about dismantling a structure that entrenches division in Scotland’s largest city.

Critics argue reform is sufficient. Advocates of abolition contend reform has repeatedly failed to address underlying antagonism.

Identity Beyond the Old Firm

Scottish football is larger than two clubs. Grassroots teams, women’s football, community academies, and non-league sides often operate without sectarian baggage. They represent alternative models of sporting identity.

The persistent dominance of Rangers and Celtic narrows the narrative of Scottish football to a binary opposition. Removing or radically restructuring that binary could create space for a more inclusive sporting culture.

Conclusion: Language, Power, and Division

The anglicisation of Ceilteach into “Celtic” symbolises a broader phenomenon: the reshaping of identity within English linguistic and institutional frameworks. Rangers and Celtic, though geographically Scottish, operate within British corporate, legal, and linguistic systems that dilute claims of distinct national authenticity.

Their rivalry, framed through Catholic–Protestant symbolism, often obscures shared structural realities. In Glasgow — a city with rich cultural plurality — the Old Firm narrative can reduce identity to inherited antagonism.

Whether one advocates reform or disbandment, the essential question remains:

Are these clubs authentic cultural expressions, or corporate vehicles sustaining division under the banner of tradition?

If language reveals power, and institutions reveal allegiance, then the answer may be more complex — and more English — than many are prepared to admit.