Callum McGregor took fan fireworks fears direct to Celtic chiefs after Rangers clash
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IAN MAXWELL thinks that footballers in Scotland can help the football association in cracking down on fan behaviour issues.
This comes as the chief joined the BBC Sportsound team on Saturday afternoon to address Scottish footballing issues.
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Celtic fan with homemade rocket launcher at the 2022/23 Viaplay cup final
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Ian Maxwell revealed that Callum McGregor, pictured here with Celtic chief Michael Nicholson, had spoken direct to the Celtic board over the matter
Credit: SNS
On the show, Maxwell said: "Rangers played Celtic at Hampden [in 2023] and there was a lot of fireworks.
'There was a video online and a guy had a rocket. They are finding ingenious ways to get these things into grounds.
'I spoke to the Celtic board after it and one of them said Callum McGregor had gone to them and said that was the first time the players had actually talked about something coming onto the pitch.
'At that point you go; 'I think we need to use the players'.
'The players are a fundamental part of trying to impact on that behaviour because with the best will in the world myself or Neil Doncaster or someone else saying 'go and not do that' just makes people want to do it.
'But if players are going to supporters and saying 'you are affecting our performance, you are getting in our heads, I'm worried when I'm taking a corner' then that is a positive message.
'The more we can use that player platform to spread that message and make people aware of the danger then the better.
'It's a player's place of work and it's not right they are taking a corner and there's all sorts raining down beside them.'
There has been multiple fan incident's across the season.
Most include pyrotechnic use, but we also saw Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie struck in the head by a chair from his own fans on the last day of the season.
Shock moment Aberdeen star hit with seat thrown from own fans after rivals' pitch invasion
Ticket reductions, and the threat of such action, is the route the governing body is taking to try and clamp down on these fan issues.
Maxwell added: 'The ticket reduction is the next step. It's a fundamental step.
'We will see how that goes. Hopefully that has the impact.
"If it doesn't and we need to look at something else, we will see what the options are at that point.'
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