In a joint statement, the clubs told the JT: "With the success of the "Gladiator" movie it's quite clear that there's a ready market for straightforward mayhem unencumbered by the constraints imposed by the SFA rule book."

In a carefully planned roll-out, future fixtures will progressively develop lethal capacity, with clubs and spears being handed out to both teams at the next meeting.

Subsequent fixtures will feature the increasing use of both light and heavy artillery ordnance, armoured cars and Challenger tanks.

"The only thing that matters is that, in a strife torn world, the Old Firm contnue to shine a beacon of sectarian bigotry."

The new policy is seen as a partial answer to the claim that the Old Firm fail to recruit local talent. As with all wars, player attrition is expected to be high, so more Scottish youngsters will have the opportunity to pull on  a famous jersey and   then die horribly.