A Scottish Cup quarter final between Celtic and Rangers was marred by a pitch invasion involving both sets of fans. The match, played in Glasgow, saw police and fans injured and a number of arrests made.
Fans Clash After Celtic’s Victory
Celtic fans initially entered the pitch in celebration after a 4-2 win on penalties. Rangers fans then also joined the fracas. Police and stewards formed a barricade to separate the two groups of supporters as flares were thrown.
Ch Supt Kate Stephen of Police Scotland described the scenes at Ibrox stadium as “despicable” and “shameful”. She added that the behaviour of a number of fans “must be condemned by everyone involved in football and wider society”.
Police Scotland will work with both clubs and the Scottish Football Association to carry out a robust investigation following the scenes on the pitch at the conclusion of the match.
Police Respond to Hostility and Violence
According to police, officers and stewards faced extreme hostility and violence over a sustained period. Some individuals had armed themselves with items clearly intended to cause harm.
Ch Supt Kate Stephen expressed her thanks to all officers and staff deployed, noting that officers and members of the public were injured in the “despicable display”.
The disorder quickly settled down with fans returning to the stands as police and stewards formed a barrier between opposing supporters.
Investigation and Condemnation
The Scottish Football Association condemned the supporters who went onto the pitch. They stated that an investigation would be carried out immediately.
Scotland’s victims and community safety minister Siobhan Brown described the scenes as “unacceptable”. She highlighted the reckless use of pyrotechnics which could have caused serious injury.
Brown noted that the Scottish government had recently consulted on extending powers to ban football fans from games and was “considering next steps”. Currently Football Banning Orders (FBOs) are only imposed if supporters are involved in violence or disorder, enabling authorities to stop fans attending games anywhere in the UK for 10 years.
Background of Away Fan Allocation
It was the first time Celtic supporters have been given the full Broomloan Road Stand allocation at Ibrox since it was reduced to fewer than 1,000 in 2018. Traditionally, around 7,500 Celtic fans filled the stand for Old Firm derbies.
Since 2018, away allocations at both Ibrox and Celtic Park have fluctuated between about 750 and zero in a series of tit-for-tat moves.
Police said some of the supporters had entered the Broomloan Stand without tickets, forcing delays to the security operation with turnstiles closed for a time. Green smoke could be seen over the Celtic end of the stadium.
Both clubs told BBC Sport they would not comment officially yet.