Is a guard of honour mandatory in football?
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No - there are no rules that mean clubs are obliged to do one.
A guard of honour is an informal gesture made by a team to acknowledge the success of another - typically in a match after they have won a title.
It has become a tradition, especially in the Premier League.
The champions will walk between two parallel lines of opposition players, who applaud them on to the pitch before the game takes place.
Often a guard of honour can be given to an individual player or manager, for their dedication to their team or sport.
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When did the guard of honour tradition begin?
The first notable guard of honour took place in 1955, when Manchester United provided one for Chelsea after they won their first league title.
In 1991, United made the gesture for Arsenal, who had pipped Liverpool to the title.
Moving into the Premier League era, United themselves were given a guard of honour by Everton at Goodison Park in May 2003.
Some champions have had multiple guards of honour in the same season.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side were given the guard of honour seven times after securing the 2019-20 title during the Covid-hit season, while Manchester City had four after then won the league in 2017-18.
Manchester City received a guard of honour four times in 2018
Have any teams ever not given a guard of honour?
Yes.
Rangers did not give Celtic a guard of honour before the final Old Firm match of this season.
Barry Ferguson, a former Rangers player and now interim manager, said "it has never happened in the past".
Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid have also not given a guard of honour to each other on several occasions.
Barcelona did not acknowledge Real's 2017 Club World Cup victory, and in turn then Real boss Zinedine Zidane refused to do acknowledge Barca's title win.
There have been some awkward moments in the Premier League.
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva chose to hold drink bottles in both hands rather than applaud Liverpool in 2020.
And in 2013, Robin van Persie returned to Arsenal for a guard of honour as a Manchester United player - to be met with boos from home fans.
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