Old Firm fiasco ‘no big deal’, says Samaras

GEORGIOS SAMARAS believes Old Firm passions pale in to insignificance in comparison to derby games in his native Greece.

The Celtic striker, 26, signed a new three-year deal to keep him at the club until 2014 on the day that police visited the Hoops’ training ground at Lennoxtown to warn players about their behaviour in tomorrow’s Co-operative Insurance Cup final against Rangers at Hampden.

The Scottish Cup fifth-round replay between the Glasgow giants at Parkhead earlier in the month — which Celtic won 1-0 — ended with three Rangers players sent off and Hoops manager Neil Lennon and Ibrox assistant Ally McCoist having to be separated at the final whistle.

However, Samaras was surprised by the furore and fall-out which followed the game.

“To be honest I was surprised by the reaction because from my point of view it was not so big a deal,” he said. “It was just the passion of the Old Firm game.”

Assistant manager Johan Mjallby will lead the team out at Hampden as Lennon serves a four-match touchline ban for being sent to the stand at Tynecastle in November.