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The Old Firm is the collective name for the Glasgow association football clubs Celtic and Rangers. The origin of the term is unclear but may derive from the two clubs initial match in which the commentators referred to the teams as "like two old, firm friends", and represents the commercial benefits of the two clubs' rivalry.〔Murray, William J. (1984) The Old Firm: sectarianism, sport, and society in Scotland; Edinburgh: J. Donald Publishers; Atlantic Highlands, N.J. ISBN 0-85976-121-5〕 The rivalry between the two clubs deeply embedded Scottish culture and had contributed to the political, social and religious division in Scotland. As a result, the fixture was recognised as having enduring appeal.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Rivalries: Celtic vs Rangers. Old Firm's enduring appeal )〕 The two clubs are the most successful in Scotland, between them having won 100 Scottish League championships (Rangers with 54 and Celtic with 46), 69 Scottish Cups and 42 Scottish League Cups. Interruptions to their ascendancy have occurred infrequently, most recently with the challenge of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United in the first half of the 1980s. Since the 1985–86 season one half of the Old Firm has won the Scottish League consistently and from the 2005–06 season to the 2011–12 season both clubs finished in the top two places. Rangers and Celtic played each other 400 times: Rangers won 159 matches, Celtic 145 matches and 96 were draws.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.rangers.co.uk/club/history/old-firm )〕 The clubs have large support bases around Glasgow but also supporters clubs in most towns throughout Scotland and in many cities around the world. The presence of Rangers and Celtic had been estimated to be worth £120 million to the Scottish economy. ==Rivalry and sectarianism== (詳細はreligion (Catholic and Protestant), Northern Ireland-related politics (Loyalist and Republican), national identity (British or Scots Irish), and social ideology (Conservatism and Socialism).〔Richard Wilson, "Inside the Divide" (Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2012), p. 87: "What is being asserted is two identities: Rangers and Celtic. There are other boundaries: Protestant and Catholic / Unionist and Republican / Conservative and Socialist...."〕 Another primary contributor to the intensity of the rivalry in the west of Scotland was that Rangers supporters are historically native Scots and Ulster Scots, and Celtic supporters are historically Irish-Scots. While the confrontation between the two sets of supporters was often labelled as 'Sectarianism', 'Native-Immigrant tension' was an equally accurate catalyst for hostility between the two teams' supports in Scotland. Rangers' traditional support was largely from the Protestant community, while Celtic's was largely from those of Irish Roman Catholic backgrounds. One effect is that Scottish flags are rarer than might be expected amongst both sets of supporters; Celtic fans are more likely to wave the Irish tricolour while Rangers fans tended to wave the Union Flag. Traditionally, Rangers, founded in 1872, attracted the Protestant, Scottish establishment: Celtic, founded later in 1887, represented the Catholic Irish people in Scotland. Nevertheless, this dividing line seems to be blurred today: Glasgow is increasingly homogeneous, "mixed marriages" between Protestants and Catholics have never been higher and the old certainties – the Rangers supporter voting Conservative and the Celtic supporter voting Labour – are lost. The ferocity of the rivalry made it rare for a player to represent both teams during his career. Players who played for both sides of the Old Firm included Alex Bennett, Scott Duncan, Robert Campbell, and George Livingstone, who all played before the intensity of the rivalry had started prior to 1912, as well as later players: Alfie Conn, Maurice Johnston, Kenny Miller, Steven Pressley and Mark Brown. Opposing fans fought an on-pitch battle in the aftermath of Celtic's 1–0 victory in the 1980 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden. This remains one of the worst invasions onto a football pitch ever reported, and was instrumental in alcohol being banned from football grounds in Scotland. There was serious fan disorder during an Old Firm match played in May 1999 at Celtic Park, as several objects were thrown by Celtic fans, one of which struck referee Hugh Dallas, forcing the game to be stopped while he received medical treatment.〔 At least four Celtic fans invaded the field of play to confront Dallas during the game, and more missiles were thrown at players on the pitch after the game.〔 Since the events of that day, Old Firm league matches have normally been played in the early afternoon and the possibility of an Old Firm title decider has been deliberately avoided. The majority of Rangers and Celtic supporters do not get involved in sectarianism, but serious incidents do occur with a tendency for the actions of a minority to dominate the headlines.〔 The Old Firm rivalry fuelled many assaults on Derby days, and some deaths in the past have been directly related to the aftermath of Old Firm matches. An activist group that monitors sectarian activity in Glasgow has reported that on Old Firm weekends, violent attacks increase ninefold over normal levels. An increase in domestic abuse can also be attributed to Old Firm fixtures. A freedom of information request found that Strathclyde Police incurred costs of £2.4 million for the seven derbies played during the 2010–11 season, with the clubs only contributing £0.3 million towards that. Other high profile games involving Rangers and Celtic incurred much lower costs.〔 The reason for the disparity in costs and the contribution made is that Strathclyde Police had to increase its activity elsewhere in Glasgow and beyond, while the clubs were only responsible for costs incurred in the vicinity of their stadium.〔 Tennent's has been the primary commercial sponsor of both teams for many years; any business that only sponsored one would likely lose half its customers. In 2015, former Rangers player Brian Laudrup said that the Old Firm topped all of the rivalries he had played in, which included the Milan derby and the Fiorentina-Juventus meetings in Italy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Old Firm」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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