FOOTBALL fans must follow stay at home guidance for this month's Old Firm clash to get the greenlight, Scotland's national clinical director has said. 

Jason Leitch insists the game's authorities and Rangers and Celtic must all be clear in their advice to supporters to avoid a repeat of scenes in Glasgow at the weekend. 

Hundreds of Light Blues fans took to the streets to celebrate the club's title triumph, leading senior government officials to suggest the Parkhead clash could be cancelled. 

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Speaking during today's daily coronavirus briefing, Prof Leitch said: "Let me be very clear. It's not my job to decide what reassurances we should seek from the Scottish football authorities or from the clubs

"I am a public health advisor and today I will join Mr [Humza] Yousaf in a meeting with the clubs and the authorities and offer public health advice.

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"That public health advice is not complicated. It will be that everyone involved in this coalition should be as strong as they can around that guidance.

"That involves the Scottish Government, the football authorities, it involves the clubs, and finally it involves every single fan being clear about what they should do." 

Justice secretary Yousaf has said that if the government receives intelligence about disturbances or gatherings, they will consider pulling the match. A decision is likely to be made next week. 

Glasgow Times: Rangers fans took to the streets to celebrate their club's league title Rangers fans took to the streets to celebrate their club's league title

As we have previously reported, Celtic chiefs are to set up a security fence around their East End stadium amid fears of gatherings. 

Prof Leitch added: "That reassurance from each of those bodies but principally of the individuals, the football fans, to follow the advice and stay at home.

"In the future we will be able to look forward to celebrate again in a much more conventional way." 

Speaking earlier, Mr Yousaf said: "We have to send collectively - and that includes the clubs - an unequivocal message that people must stay at home. I'll certainly be impressing on the clubs to do whatever they can between now and March 21.

"If there is disorder, not only is that bad for public safety but also public health, at one of the most critical junctures of the fight against the virus.

"If that is the intelligence we're getting then clearly the option of potentially postponing the match is one we would have to consider.

Glasgow Times: Humza Yousaf Humza Yousaf

"I'm hopeful the clubs will agree to that but ultimately they might do all of that and still the intelligence tells us that rival groups are going to come out and cause disorder.

"And if that is the case then we have to review every single option at our disposal."