Beşiktaş ultras set off fireworks outside a Celtic pub and scuffled with police on Bonfire Night before their Europa League clash with Celtic, which the home side won 3-2.
Fireworks in Merchant City
Supporters of the Turkish side were seen letting off pyrotechnics in the middle of Merchant City before the 8pm kick-off at Celtic Park. Footage taken by a punter inside Connolly's, an Irish bar popular with Hoops fans, shows fireworks being set off on Bell Street dangerously close to drinkers and passers-by.
Away fans are seen gathered in a circle on the cobbled street, which is also home to other Irish bars popular with Celtic supporters including O'Neill's and Murphy's, surrounding the rockets as they shoot into the sky. Most of the visitors appear unfazed and carry on drinking from plastic cups and chatting outdoors, while those inside the boozer record the scene on their phones.
Scuffles with police
One patron who watched the scene unfold uploaded a video to X, formerly Twitter, joking that they needed "back up". A Beşiktaş fan account replied: "Your city, our rules".
Later in the evening, the Turkish ultras were seen getting into scuffles with police on their way to the ground. A video circulating online shows fans being escorted through the Trongate area when a disturbance breaks out between police and supporters. The clip shows pushing, shoving, and some disorder between the groups. Traffic stops to allow the large group of ultras, flanked by blue-lit vehicles and uniformed officers, to pass. Sirens echo through the street as more cops run over to create a barricade in front of the supporters.
The user who shared the video wrote on X: "It's safe to say that the Besiktas fans were quite a feisty bunch."
No arrests made
Police Scotland confirmed they were in attendance with away fans during their procession to Parkhead but said that no arrests were made. The force said the match passed without serious incident.
It came as Operation Amberlight saw specialist police resources support local policing teams respond to Bonfire Night disorder. The Halloween and Bonfire Night policing operation came to an end just before 1am on Friday, November 6, in what was one of the most complex and demanding in recent memory - and the biggest since President Trump's visit to Scotland last September. Emergency services were targeted by yobs, including fireworks being set off within a police van while officers and paramedics came to the aid of an injured man. Investigations into the seven arrests made as part of Operation Amberlight are now underway and anyone with information is urged to come forward.
