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 Parkhead club until 2014 on the day that police visited the Hoops' training ground to warn players about their behaviour in Sunday'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 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, saying: "To be honest I was surprised by the reaction because from my point of view it was not such big a deal. It was just the passion of the Old Firm game."
He added: "It is a passionate game and sometimes it comes out, it is normal, we are human and have emotions.
"I have seen much worse things in Greece that cannot be compared to here in Glasgow.
"It would require a long conversation to tell you about it. I can't explain in a couple of minutes but the police and government get involved plenty of times.
"They try to put things in order but I don't know if they can.
"I don't know how politics can help in football.
"In Greece there are too many people who don't have a clue about football, here you have the right people to handle things and they are fair with everyone.
"But we will do everything we can to co-operate. I respect the Rangers players and they respect the Celtic players and we wouldn't do anything to create problems for the fans."
source: PA Sport 2011
