AS provocations go, and in the truest Spanish style, it could be interpreted as a red rag to a bull. The resurrection of their red jerseys from a night that still lives on in infamy in Glasgow, as much as it is feted in Madrid.
The ghosts of 1974 would have loomed large over the meeting of Celtic and Atletico this evening no matter what the visitors chose to wear, but they have also brought along a couple of living club legends who played in that game just to reinforce the point that - far from being shamed by their actions 49 years ago - they are proud of them.
Ramon ‘Cacho’ Heredia and Francisco 'Bermejo' Melo are the two men that have travelled back to the scene of what many Celtic fans still consider a crime against football in the European Cup semi-final. They were among the 11 Atletico squad members from 13 who were shown some sort of card on the night, though not one of the trio who saw red.
Celtic fans will however, both figuratively and literally, be seeing red this evening. And current Atletico manager Diego Simeone – himself known to possess a taste for devilment – is unrepentant about the message his club are sending out.
“People can interpret things any way they want,” Simeone said.
“Tomorrow is just about the opposition. Celtic is a tough rival, with some really strong players. I really admire the way they play football, and it is going to be a tough game.
“In their games against Lazio and Feyenoord, especially in the first 60-70 minutes, they played at a really high tempo. They are good in transition and have a strong system that they stuck to.
“They will press you in your own half and playing here, it is a really historic stadium.
“Newspapers will have their headlines but what matters to me is the stadium, the history and the crowd. It is a huge game, the Champions League and their fans will be hoping to get a win.
“As well as the history of 1974, my father told me about 1967 when they played Racing Club (World Club Championship). It’s a huge club. One of the most famous in the world.
“We are going to approach the game with a lot of enthusiasm and vigour.”
Club captain Koke, perhaps unsurprisingly as he will be out there in the Celtic Park maelstrom tomorrow evening, sought to play down the significance of the resumption of hostilities between these two clubs.
However, he also made clear that the 1974 team – who went on to lose the final to Bayern Munich after a replay – hold a special place in the history of his club, just as much as they are despised in this part of the world.
“It’s an important thing for the club, but that was 50 years ago, so while it is good to have those people with us and memories are a big part of football, it is completely different game now,” Koke said.
“We are just focused on the game tomorrow. It doesn’t really matter what colour of shirts we are wearing, they could be red or they could be red and white. The most important thing is the game.
"The truth is not that many people have asked me about it. It's true that people can read about it and they will ask questions then. I don't really have to explain the history of the club.
"It's not so important for what happens in the game what jersey we wear, the most important thing is what happens on the pitch.
"But it's a great gesture from the club and it's an important part of the club's history, what happened 50 years ago.”
