Greek drama has prepared Daniel Majstorovic

THE more insular among us rush to greet any bonkers event that afflict our football with an "only in Scotland" tagline. Daniel Majstorovic knows different. The Swedish defender joined Celtic in August from AEK Athens. His final appearance for the Greek club brought the sort of stooshie that would see the commentariat in this country suffer cranium explosions.

A few days before they were to face Dundee United in their Europa League qualifier, AEK arranged a friendly against second-division side Kallithea. They lost 2-1, with many senior players, including Majstorovic, rested for the second half. So far so what, you might say. Only that was not the attitude of a swathe of AEK supporters, who staged a pitch invasion and assaulted their - since resigned - coach Dusan Bajevic, even as he was encircled by riot police

"I was in the dressing room after the game so I didn't see it but just heard from a lot of people around," the 33-year-old says. "It was really crazy. When this happens you feel it has nothing to do with football. So it was a strange feeling. Especially for the coach. He is a hero over there, one of the most successful coaches. But some idiots hit him because there was a group of fans who never forgave him for leaving AEK for Olmypiakos (before returning for a third spell]."

Around 200 of the unforgiving then "turned up at the training centre" and "shouted that we played bad". Majstorovic takes a sanguine view of such misplaced passion - for that read thuggery - which makes him perfectly suited for the febrile environment of football, west-of-Scotland style.

"You never know what can happen in Greece, every day something different," he says. The fans are really into their team. It is like a religion, like it is here with Celtic and Rangers.

"So it is something you need to handle, learn to live with. The pressure is big in the big teams. It is part of the game. And I have good memories, had good feedback (at AEK], never anything really bad." Well, that depends on your take on rioting and lynch mobs.