NafisaIt took just four minutes for Sunday’s Old Firm derby to produce its first major flashpoint.
Before Rangers had even settled into the contest at Celtic Park, Derek McInnes was already at the centre of a furious touchline exchange after Manny Fernandez was shown an early yellow card.
The Rangers manager was clearly unhappy with the decision.
What followed quickly became one of the most heated moments of the afternoon, with McInnes appearing to argue with the fourth official before his frustration spilled towards the Celtic technical area.
Martin O’Neill and Celtic first-team coach Mark Fotheringham became involved, with the three men exchanging words before the situation was eventually brought under control.
And footage of the incident has now brought renewed attention to exactly how the confrontation developed.
The initial spark, however, was straightforward.
Fernandez had pulled back Camilo Duran as Celtic attempted to break forward, and referee John Beaton immediately produced a yellow card.
McInnes felt the punishment was excessive for an incident so early in the match and made his feelings known.
He could be seen holding up his fingers, apparently making the point that it was Fernandez’s first foul.
But the Rangers boss’ reaction soon became a touchline confrontation.
What happened between McInnes and the Celtic dugout?
McInnes initially directed his anger towards the officials.
As the discussion continued, the Rangers boss became involved with members of the Celtic coaching staff.
Fotheringham was among those who stepped towards the situation, while O’Neill also became involved as tempers rose.
At one point, McInnes and Fotheringham appeared to square up to one another on the touchline.
O’Neill then moved between the pair as the situation threatened to escalate.
The referee eventually intervened and both McInnes and Fotheringham were shown yellow cards.
The incident lasted only a short time, but it immediately became one of the biggest talking points from the opening stages of the derby.
And there was another reason why the exchange attracted so much attention.
McInnes and Fotheringham already have history.
The pair previously clashed when McInnes was managing Hearts during a meeting with Celtic in January, meaning Sunday’s confrontation was never going to be viewed entirely in isolation.
The footage adds another layer to the controversy
The emergence of footage has inevitably led to fresh scrutiny of the exchange.
However, the precise words exchanged between individuals on the touchline cannot necessarily be established from television footage alone.
What is clear is that the confrontation began after McInnes’ reaction to Fernandez’s booking before moving towards the Celtic dugout.
That distinction matters because the incident was not an unexplained argument between rival benches.
There was a clear footballing trigger.
McInnes believed his defender had been unfairly punished.
The Celtic bench reacted to his protest.
And within moments, O’Neill and Fotheringham were involved in a confrontation with the Rangers manager.
The atmosphere was already combustible given what had happened one week earlier.
Rangers had beaten Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox in the Scottish League Cup, before Celtic then suffered a 3-1 Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros.
Sunday’s meeting therefore carried enormous significance for O’Neill’s side.
A second defeat to Rangers in the space of seven days would only intensify the pressure surrounding the Celtic manager.
That made the opening moments particularly tense.
Rangers eventually had the last word
The touchline drama ultimately became secondary to what happened on the pitch.
Rangers eventually took the lead through Ryan Naderi after Dan Neil’s long-range effort was not dealt with by Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo.
Naderi, who had been a doubt for the derby after suffering an ankle problem during the previous Old Firm meeting, recovered in time to start — and then delivered the decisive moment.
There was further controversy after the break when Rangers thought they had doubled their advantage through Olwethu Makhanya.
VAR intervened, however, after the ball was shown to have struck Makhanya’s hand before he finished.
The goal was ruled out, with Celtic’s Sebastian Tounekti subsequently booked for dissent.
But Rangers ultimately held on.
The 1-0 victory completed back-to-back Old Firm wins for McInnes and gave Rangers another major result against their biggest rivals.
And that means the touchline confrontation now forms part of a much bigger story.
McInnes was furious within minutes of kick-off.
The Celtic dugout became involved.
O’Neill attempted to calm the situation.
Both McInnes and Fotheringham were booked.
And by the end of the afternoon, Rangers had once again left Celtic Park with the victory.
The footage may continue to fuel debate over exactly what was said during those heated seconds.
But the sequence itself is clear: Fernandez’s early booking sparked McInnes’ anger, that protest spilled towards the Celtic dugout, and the Old Firm touchline erupted almost immediately.
For an already bitter derby, it was an early warning of just how heated the afternoon was going to become.
Nafisa
