Celtic and Rangers could feel the backlash of the SFA as the national association continues to examine the chaotic scenes at Ibrox on Sunday.
The SFA have vowed to investigate Celtic and Rangers after the incidents that saw Hoops fans run onto the Ibrox pitch to celebrate with players, and Rangers supporters run 200 yards and spark violent scenes.
But what is Rule 77 that the SFA could apply and which sanctions could Celtic and Rangers face when their Ibrox investigation concludes? 67 Hail Hail takes a closer look into the controversial punishments both Glasgow clubs could face.
What is SFA Rule 77?
Quite simply, Rule 77 is regarded as a kind of ‘safety net’ rule. While other rules cover specific matters like red cards or stadium lighting, SFA Rule 77 is a broad regulation that says:
“Every club, player, and official must act in the best interests of Scottish football at all times.”
Now for Celtic and Rangers, this rule could be applied in two ways that could be used to discipline both Glasgow giants.
How the SFA could punish Celtic and Rangers using Rule 77:
The first way the SFA can apply the rule is based on the ‘Reputational Hit’ for Scottish football and that could effectively see both clubs be sanctioned for the chaos at Ibrox.
The SFA doesn’t just look at who ran onto the pitch, they also examine whether the event made Scottish football appear bad globally.
Because the game was broadcast live on Premier Sports, the SFA will argue the ‘reputation of the game’ was damaged and both clubs could be heavily sanctioned.
The second way the rule could be applied is ‘failure to control’ the fans. Under Rule 77, the SFA can charge a club if they feel the overall conduct of Celtic and Rangers was inappropriate.
This includes ‘indecent or insulting behaviour’ by anyone under the club’s jurisdiction. So while Celtic fans did not provoke any violence, their behaviour by running onto the pitch to celebrate could be viewed as the trigger that caused the Rangers support to retaliate.
Celtic could be charged with ‘failure to control’ their fans whereas Rangers could also be hit with an added allegation of ‘failure to protect’ supporters.
What SFA sanctions could Celtic and Rangers face?
There are a number of ways the SFA could penalise both clubs, and it depends on the severity of their findings:
Away Ticket Bans (the most likely outcome)
Heavy financial fines
Partial or total stadium closures
Mandatory “safety action plans”
Points deductions (highly unlikely).
Both clubs are likely to be fined and/or receive an away ticket allocation ban for the foreseeable future, especially for the Glasgow Derby fixture.