Soccer: SPL chief angry over new date for Old Firm clash

The date of the final Old Firm game of the Scottish Premier League season has been put back a week because of a clash with World Cup qualifiers.

SPL chief executive Roger Mitchell criticised world football's governing body Fifa for forcing the move.

It comes because the Dutch FA has been granted permission to play a qualifier on a date set aside for friendlies only.

Mitchell labelled Fifa "playground bullies" for forcing the switch.

As a result, Celtic will now travel to Rangers on Sunday April 29 (1pm) instead of Sunday April 22.

April 25 was originally identified as an international friendly date, which meant players only had to be released for 48 hours before the fixture.

But Holland have been allowed to play Cyprus in a qualifier that night, which increases the release period to four days.

Teams who have three or more players called up can ask for a game to be postponed, although whether this would actually happen is still unclear.

Rangers have six Dutch internationals. But four - Arthur Numan, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Ronald de Boer and Michael Mols - are injured.

The other two, Bert Konterman and Fernando Ricksen, were overlooked for the last Dutch squad earlier in the month.

Nevertheless, the decision has already been made to change the date despite the fact the SPL wanted it to be the first game after the league splits in two to minimise the chances of it being a potentially explosive title decider.

Mitchell said: "This decision by Fifa beggars belief. By paying for and nurturing the best talent in our game, the major clubs keep international football alive - yet Fifa is behaving like a playground bully.

"We had been told months ago that this would be a friendly date, which would not have impacted upon the Old Firm game.

"In what other business would you have to put up with a situation where another body deprives you of your best employees, refuses to pay for them, washes their hands of them when they are injured and keeps all the revenue from their efforts?

"It's like something from the Dark Ages.

"It is clear from my discussions both in the UK and with other league clubs and club chairmen throughout Europe that major clubs are sick and tired of losing their players for vital matches, often having them returned with serious, long-term injuries which can cost clubs millions of pounds. "