Key Points
- Celtic players and supporters sang Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” to taunt Rangers during title celebrations and at points during the season.
- Footage and reports show the song used both in the dressing room following a title-clinching match and by supporters at Ibrox and other venues.
- Video and broadcast packages of the celebrations were published on multiple platforms, including club celebration clips and fan-uploaded videos.
- The “Simply the Best” taunt has been a recurring feature in Old Firm culture, appearing in stadium chants and online fan content across seasons.
- Media outlets and social channels documented the incident; short clips circulated widely, amplifying the provocation between the two sets of supporters.
Glasgow (Glasgow Express) May 16, 2026 – Celtic’s players and supporters were recorded singing Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” in what has been widely reported and circulated as a taunt directed at Rangers following the club’s league triumph, with footage appearing in dressing-room clips and fan videos after the title-deciding fixtures. As reported by online club- and fan-focused outlets, the phrase and the song motif were used by players on the pitch and in the dressing room, and supporters replicated the chant in sections of stadia where Celtic followed Rangers’ well-known adoption of the same tune as a walk-out anthem.
- Key Points
- Why did Celtic players and fans sing “Simply the Best” after the title win and when did this happen?
- How have media platforms and outlets described the dressing-room scenes and fan reaction?
- Who documented and published the footage, and what platforms carried it?
- What is the historical or cultural context behind using “Simply the Best” as a taunt in Old Firm fixtures?
- What statements did journalists and club-focused writers make about the episode?
- What was the immediate reaction from supporters and wider football audiences online?
- What is the factual record of where and when the clip was filmed and circulated?
- Was there any official club comment or formal complaint recorded in media coverage?
- How have journalists contextualised the incident within the wider seasonal narrative?
- Background of the development
- Prediction:
Why did Celtic players and fans sing “Simply the Best” after the title win and when did this happen?
As reported by club and fan channels that posted video of the celebration, Celtic’s adoption of “Simply the Best” as part of their post-match and dressing-room revelry took place immediately following the match that secured the Premiership title; the song was performed in the dressing room and sections of celebratory footage that circulated on social media showed players and staff joining in.
Several fan-uploaded clips and sports highlight packages later reinforced the impression that the refrain was used purposefully to reference Rangers’ use of the same track, creating a mocking parallel aimed at their city rivals.
How have media platforms and outlets described the dressing-room scenes and fan reaction?
Sports websites and video platforms carried short edits and fuller clips of the celebrations, describing jubilant dressing-room scenes and noting the choice of “Simply the Best” as a pointed provocation against Rangers; those reports noted the immediate viral spread of the footage on social platforms and the response from both sets of supporters online. Broadcast and online journalists who covered the celebration described the video packages as “jubilant” and “brutally mocking” in the tradition of Old Firm banter, while also showing the broader context of trophy presentation and player reactions during the day’s events.
Who documented and published the footage, and what platforms carried it?
Video of the dressing-room celebrations and adjacent fan chants appeared on multiple platforms, including official club footage, sports broadcasters’ highlight reels, and numerous fan-uploaded videos on sites such as YouTube and social media reels;
these clips were shared by supporters’ channels and sports pages soon after the match, broadening reach beyond the stadium. Outlets ranging from major sports broadcasters to fan-led websites picked up the footage for commentary pieces and highlight packages, which in turn prompted further sharing across social networks.
What is the historical or cultural context behind using “Simply the Best” as a taunt in Old Firm fixtures?
Observers and chroniclers of Old Firm rivalries have long noted that songs and anthems adopted by one side frequently become flashpoints when used by the other as mockery; in this case, “Simply the Best” has been associated with Rangers as a walk-out anthem, and Celtic supporters’ appropriation of the song during title celebrations was framed by commentators and fan media as a deliberate provocation rooted in that history. Past seasons have seen the tune surface repeatedly in chants and edited clips, reflecting the entrenched rivalry where symbolic gestures and music frequently substitute for direct confrontation in modern coverage and social-media exchanges.
What statements did journalists and club-focused writers make about the episode?
As reported by multiple fan outlets and sports writers, commentary emphasised both the celebratory tone of Celtic’s camp and the pointed nature of the song choice; write-ups described the moment as part of the day’s wider celebrations rather than an incident of institutional misconduct, while acknowledging it was intended to needle Rangers and their supporters.
Those reporting and circulating the footage credited the primary sources—dressing-room clips and fan videos—when describing what was said and sung, and cited uploaded footage in their articles and social clips.
What was the immediate reaction from supporters and wider football audiences online?
Following publication of the dressing-room clips and stadium singing, social-media responses ranged from amusement and shared revelry among Celtic supporters to indignation and derision from Rangers fans, with many of the exchanges playing out on video comment feeds and dedicated fan channels; pundits and social commentators also discussed the incident as an example of Old Firm rivalry expressed through popular culture rather than physical confrontation.
The clip’s spread on YouTube and other sites ensured a rapid, wide audience that amplified both the celebratory and confrontational readings of the moment.
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What is the factual record of where and when the clip was filmed and circulated?
Short video clips of the dressing-room celebration were posted to video-hosting platforms and social channels on the day of the title-clinching match, showing post-match scenes inside the Celtic dressing room and at points on the pitch; the timestamps and platform postings confirm the footage’s contemporaneous circulation with the celebrations and subsequent trophy presentation.
Fan channels also posted compilation footage of similar chants at other fixtures where the “Simply the Best” motif had been reused as a provocation earlier in the season, indicating the taunt had been present in multiple contexts and not confined to the single clip.
Was there any official club comment or formal complaint recorded in media coverage?
Reports that circulated with the footage concentrated on the celebratory and provocative content itself; publicly available articles and video uploads on sports pages and fan sites did not, in the items surveyed, record formal statements from either club condemning or endorsing the behaviour, with coverage instead focusing on the fan reaction and the cultural resonance of the chant within Old Firm rivalry.
In the absence of official comment in those reports, media outlets quoted the visible footage and fan commentary as the principal sources for description and analysis.
How have journalists contextualised the incident within the wider seasonal narrative?
Sports writers and fan outlets framed the singing of “Simply the Best” within the broader narrative of Celtic’s successful title campaign and the highly charged atmosphere of Old Firm rivalry, treating the taunt as one episode among many that characterise the emotional intensity of matches and post-match celebrations between Glasgow’s two major clubs.
Coverage drew a line from on-field success and trophy presentation to dressing-room celebration, noting how moments of triumph often include gestures that reference rivalries and fan culture rather than official club policy or public pronouncements.
Background of the development
How has music and chant historically been used in Old Firm rivalry and what does this episode add?
Music, chants and anthems have long been integral to football culture in Scotland and especially to the Old Firm rivalry, where songs associated with one side are frequently adopted, inverted or mocked by the other as part of competitive theatre; analysts and cultural commentators note that such musical provocation is a common non-physical form of rivalry expression and occurs in stadia and online alike.
The recent dressing-room clip of Celtic players joining in a “Simply the Best” rendition following their title win fits into that pattern: it is a symbolic appropriation reflecting both triumph and taunting that quickly finds its way into the social-media cycle, where fan response and media pick-up amplify the moment beyond the stadium.
Prediction:
For Celtic supporters the clip will likely reinforce communal pride and serve as a sharable moment of triumph, strengthening in-group identity and social-media engagement around the title win; fans will continue to circulate and create derivative content that celebrates the victory and the taunt’s symbolic potency.
Rangers supporters and neutral observers may see the clip as a provocation that stimulates counter-chants and online rebuttals, escalating the cycle of musical taunting across fixtures and digital platforms without necessarily translating into formal dispute resolution or official club action, based on how past episodes have evolved in coverage.
