NafisaCeltic and Rangers have both been hit with the same extraordinary punishment by the Scottish FA following the ugly scenes that marred last season’s Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.
The Glasgow rivals will now have to play their next home Scottish Cup fixtures behind closed doors, meaning supporters of both clubs will be locked out when the competition returns.
That is not the only punishment handed down.
Celtic and Rangers must also pay £100,000 to the visiting club for their next home Scottish Cup fixture, while another stadium closure will be triggered if further trouble occurs at a Scottish Cup match before the end of the 2027/28 season.
The decision comes after the extraordinary scenes that followed Celtic’s penalty shoot-out victory at Ibrox in March.
What happened at Ibrox?
The quarter-final had been one of the most anticipated Old Firm clashes of the season, with Celtic eventually progressing after a goalless 120 minutes and a 4-2 victory in the penalty shoot-out.
It was the aftermath that turned the occasion into a major security and disciplinary issue.
Celtic were given the entire Broomloan Stand for the fixture, resulting in around 7,500 visiting supporters being inside Ibrox.
That was a significant increase on the approximately 2,500 away fans who had been permitted for the league meeting between the two sides the previous weekend.
When Celtic converted the decisive penalty, supporters spilled onto the pitch to celebrate.
Sections of the Rangers support then moved towards the playing surface, with fireworks thrown between groups as the situation rapidly descended into disorder.
A total of 43 arrests have since been made in connection with the incidents.
The seriousness of what happened became even clearer following an independent investigation led by Mark Blackbourne.
The report concluded that “crushing” and “life-threatening violence” had narrowly been avoided.
It also criticised both sets of supporters, although it distinguished between the actions of the two groups.
The Celtic Ultras were described as being the first to enter the pitch in celebration, while the Union Bears’ movement was described as reactionary and confrontational.
The report ultimately concluded that the Celtic pitch invasion was “wholly inexcusable” but also said the subsequent response from sections of the Rangers support significantly escalated the disorder.
SFA told to get tough
The independent review made several serious recommendations, including stronger sanctions against clubs and supporters involved in crowd trouble.
It also raised concerns about the ability of authorities to safely police major matches at Ibrox.
One particularly disturbing detail was the revelation that experienced Police Scotland officers had reportedly been described as “petrified” about policing another fixture at the stadium.
Blackbourne described that as “deeply disturbing” and said it demanded serious attention from those responsible for football safety and governance in Scotland.
The report also recommended that incidents involving ultra groups should result in heavier sanctions from clubs, while highlighting the ineffectiveness of some existing supporter bans.
Against that backdrop, the Scottish FA’s decision to impose immediate and significant consequences on both Celtic and Rangers is unlikely to come as a complete surprise.
Celtic ‘shocked’ by punishment
Celtic have already made their feelings known, describing themselves as “shocked” by what they consider to be a disproportionate punishment.
The Scottish champions argued that the Celtic supporters’ involvement was relatively small and occurred during a moment of emotion and celebration.
They also stressed that Celtic were the away club on the day and therefore were not responsible for the stadium’s safety arrangements.
The club said it would study the independent panel’s report and reasoning before deciding what steps to take next.
Identical punishment for Old Firm rivals
Despite the competing arguments over who was responsible for what happened, the Scottish FA has opted for identical punishments.
Sky Sports’ Gordon Duncan highlighted the sheer scale of the problems surrounding the fixture, pointing to allegations involving crowd trouble before, during and after the match, supporters entering without tickets, graffiti and damage to the stadium.
He said: “There were wide-ranging accusations about all sorts of misdemeanours. Crowd trouble before, during and after the game. Fans without tickets forcing their way in. Graffiti and damage to the stadium. The list goes on and on.
“Now the punishments have been handed out.
“Last month, there was an independent enquiry about what went on and the ugly scenes and as part of that one of the recommendations was that the Scottish FA were encouraged to look at more immediate and severe punishments. It’s safe to say, that’s exactly what has happened.
“Scottish football often exists in a blame game about who did what and all the mitigating factors, but both have been handed the same punishment.”
The decision now leaves both Glasgow giants facing the unusual prospect of playing a Scottish Cup home fixture in an empty stadium.
For Celtic, the club will feel particularly aggrieved at being punished despite insisting it was not the home side responsible for security arrangements at Ibrox.
For Rangers, meanwhile, the punishment represents another reminder of the serious consequences of failing to control crowd behaviour at major fixtures.
And with another stadium closure waiting in the wings should trouble occur again, the Scottish FA has made its message abundantly clear: there will be little room for excuses if the Old Firm rivalry produces more disorder in the Scottish Cup.
Nafisa
