NafisaRangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh has insisted the club will continue pursuing a major compensation payout for damage caused to the Broomloan Stand by Celtic supporters during March’s controversial Scottish Cup quarter-final.
The Ibrox side claim that “significant damage” worth £1.3 million was caused by Hoops fans following the Old Firm encounter, which was won by Martin O’Neill’s side after a dramatic penalty shootout. Hundreds of travelling supporters poured onto the pitch immediately after Tomas Cvancara’s decisive penalty.
It emerged last week that high-tech LED advertising boards around the edge of the pitch were wrecked during the chaotic scenes and form part of the repair bill, but Celtic have been contesting the compensation fee after citing a Scottish FA regulation that limits liability for incidents linked to supporter behaviour to just £50,000.
However, Rangers believe they are in a strong position to recover a larger amount from their Glasgow rivals in order to replace the damaged system, with the issue currently being reviewed by the Scottish Football Association.
Gers chairman Cavenagh, alongside chief executive Jim Gilligan, have now addressed the matter publicly. “I think the basics are known,” Cavenagh said. “We think the damage caused by their supporters is roughly £1.3m. We have asked them to pay for that, there’s a dispute over that, but we won’t get into tit-for-tat via the media.
“We’ll have that conversation with Celtic and the league and SFA. We’ve suffered extensive damage and expect to be remedied for that. There are multiple avenues for that. There are rules but also ways to arbitrate and seek recovery for that.”
Gilligan added: “We have a position. There is historic SFA rules in place but they are not the only guidelines or legislative processes that can be invoked. We’ll continue talking to both the SFA, Celtic and see what comes.”
Celtic had been handed an allocation of 7,500 tickets for the match, with the gate revenue split equally under Scottish Cup regulations. Rangers have opted to withhold a six-figure payment owed to Celtic while negotiations continue.
The SFA appointed Mark Blackbourne to lead an independent investigation into the incident.
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