The former Celtic manager recalled how tensions boiled over in the derby, which saw three Rangers players sent off, a 1-0 win for Celtic, and post-match chaos that included heated exchanges on the touchline.
Speaking about the incident, Lennon pointed the finger at El-Hadji Diouf for sparking the initial conflict. “El Hadj Diouf started it all,” Lennon explained on Open Goal. “Emilio Izaguirre got injured, Steven Whittaker got sent off. Diouf was coming over to get instructions, and our physio Tim Williamson was going on to treat Emilio. Diouf gives one into Tim – and I’m actually delighted he done that, because it let me off the leash.
“So I clocked it and went: ‘F***ing leave my staff alone.’ Then Coisty comes out shouting, ‘Don’t talk to my players like that.’ That was the start of it.”
Lennon admitted he lost his cool. “Instead of doing the normal thing – shake hands and deal with it later – I f***ing snapped. Then you’ve got Parkes trying to split us up and getting punched by the fourth official, which was really, really funny. But at the time, I wasn’t giving an inch. I knew how it worked. I wasn’t letting anyone get the upper hand on us if I could avoid it.”
The Celtic boss at the time was no stranger to Old Firm heat, but even by Glasgow derby standards, that night was off the charts. The game ended with 12 yellow cards, three Rangers players off, and both Lennon and McCoist slapped with touchline bans after the incident.
Much of the blame was placed at the door of the referee, and how he conducted. Former Rangers defender Richard Foster said, “The referee could have dealt with the game better. You can’t really say he caused all the mayhem at the end. But he could have made sure that it didn’t become such a powder keg.” [Daily Record]
The fallout extended beyond the pitch, with the Scottish Government calling an emergency summit to address the wider implications of the match, from sectarianism to fan behaviour, as the Glasgow rivalry reached a boiling point.
That game will always be looked back on.
