SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster is confident there will be no repeat of the infamous 1999 Old Firm “shame game” when Celtic and Rangers meet after the Ladbrokes Premiership top-six split.

The SPFL will release the post-split fixtures early next week following the final round of top flight games this weekend.

It has been suggested the governing body are keen to avoid a scenario where Celtic can wrap up their seventh consecutive Scottish title by beating their city rivals at Parkhead.

There were disgraceful scenes on and off the park when Rangers clinched the league with a 3-0 win at Celtic Park in 1999 in the last Glasgow derby game to kick off at 6.05pm.

But Doncaster believes Scottish football has changed beyond recognition since then and is confident Ian Blair, the SPFL secretary, will ensure that any potential flashpoints are avoided.

“The post-split fixtures are nothing new for us,” he said. “It is the 18th consecutive season where we have had post-split.

“That creates imbalances. Teams will gain or lose a home game and may play rivals three times at home or three times away. That is the nature of the split. It is inevitable. It is a mathematical certainty that will arise on many occasions.

“In terms of the scheduling of games, that is an issue that we will continue to work with the broadcasters and the police on to achieve the best possible outcome.

“That is an area where Iain Blair will work closely with the police and the broadcasters to ensure we have the best possible set of post-split fixtures, but also scheduling that works best for all parties, particularly the police and the broadcasters.”

Doncaster added: “The game has moved on enormously (since 1999). A week is a long time in football now. What has also moved on is the relationship that we have with Police Scotland and with the broadcasters.

“We understand each other’s needs and wants, we work together to achieve the scheduling and the fixture list that is best for everyone. I don’t envy Iain Blair that process, but I am confident he will do it well.”

Meanwhile, Doncaster has defended his appointment to the SFA board and vowed to do his utmost to defuse the “tensions” that exists between the two bodies.

Doncaster joined the board after Ian Maxwell, the Partick Thistle general manager who is in the running to succeed Stewart Regan as SFA chief executive, stood down last month.

The move was criticised by some with Stewart Gilmour, the former St Mirren chairman, branding it “shocking” and “unbelievable” and Peter Houston, the ex-Scotland assistant manager, claiming it was due to “politics”.

But Doncaster, speaking in Edinburgh yesterday following the second general assembly of the Association of European Professional Leagues, insisted he could help to ensure a more harmonious relationship between the SFA and the SPFL in future.

“It is essential that we have a better alignment between the national game and the governing body,” he said. “I hope that my appointment will aid that process. It is something that I am personally very committed to.

“I am looking forward to working with the next chief executive of the Scottish FA, whoever he or she may be, in order to achieve that. We all work in the same building. We should be better aligned than we are.

“There are always points of tension between the head bodies in football and on occasion between the governing body and the league in Scotland. That is natural. Sometimes those tensions were overblown and appeared to be larger than they really were.

“But I am hopeful that going forward with the appointment of a new chief executive we will be able to work together for the benefit of the game as a whole.”