sport news Ally McCoist has been 'irresponsible, reckless and daft' in claiming police ... trends now

Chris Sutton believes Ally McCoist's comments were 'reckless and irresponsible' after he claimed police would need to arrest him and 48,000 Rangers fans for breaching Scotland's new hate crime law at the Old Firm match with Celtic.

Sutton, a former Celtic striker, reacted to McCoist's comments on Mail Sport's It's All Kicking Off podcast ahead of the crunch derby clash on Sunday.

Former Scotland and Rangers striker McCoist, 61, had described Scotland's new law as 'madness' this week, pointing out those in attendance at Ibrox this weekend will be at high risk of breaching it.

The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, which came into force on Monday, created a new crime of 'stirring up hatred' relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex.

'We've got a hate bill by the way, a hate bill has been passed in the country,' McCoist told talkSPORT on Tuesday.

'And I can guarantee you, next Sunday at Ibrox, I along with 48,000 will be committing a breach of that hate bill in the particular Rangers vs Celtic game we are all going to. It is madness.'

McCoist's comments have generated controversy, with previous Old Firm debries having seen supporters hang effigies, chant sectarian songs and brandish offensive banners.

The former Scotland international has since U-turned and announced he will not attend the match, after admitting he was upset people with his comments.

Sutton, who played for 197 times for Celtic, claimed McCoist's statement had been 'reckless and irresponsible'. 

'He left himself wide open, you know, saying that he along with 48,000 will be committing a breach of the bill in that fixture,' Sutton said.

'Look, I know Ally well, I've worked with Ally a lot. I suspect that his comments may have well been tongue in cheek.

'But if they weren't, then got to say they were pretty reckless, irresponsible comments. Daft, I think his choice of words were clumsy. 

'I know he's not going to the game. 

'He's come out now and said that he's not going to the game which may have not sort of got him out of it, but his way of getting out of the words which he used.

'He will have to address this one, I thought is comments were slightly odd in truth.'

Previous clashes between the two teams have seen supporters hang effigies, chant sectarian songs and brandish offensive banners.

When the sides played each other for the first time in four years in September 2016, Celtic supporters hung blow-up sex dolls from the top tier of the club's Jock Stein Stand - accompanying them with the message: 'This is it Bhoys, this is war'.

A banner was also displayed in the stadium's Green Brigade ultras section, reading: 'Know your place. Hun scum.'

Meanwhile, Rangers fans sang the Billy Boys song, which has been banned at Scottish grounds since 2011, with its line: 'We're up to our knees in F****n' blood.'

There will be no Celtic fans in attendance at Ibrox this weekend but away allocations will return next season after a truce was reached between the two clubs.

Critics of the new Hate Crime Act say it could be used to stifle free speech and that gender-critical activists could be jailed for using the wrong pronoun for a transgender person.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has been particularly critical of the new law, and has already challenged the police to arrest her if they believe she has committed an offence after she described several transgender women as men. Rowling said 'freedom of speech and belief' would end as a result of the new legislation.

In a lengthy statement on X, Rowling wrote: 'The re-definition of 'woman' to include every man who declares

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