Old Firm clubs charged after mass disorder at Ibrox
Rangers and Celtic face disciplinary hearings after an independent report likened fan group behaviour to organised crime and exposed severe security failures at a major European derby.
The Scottish Football Association has issued disciplinary charges to Rangers and Celtic following a pitch invasion and violent clashes at their Scottish Cup quarter-final in March. Both clubs are accused of breaching the SFA's Rule 37, which mandates that clubs maintain good order and implement procedures to identify unacceptable conduct.
The trouble erupted after Celtic won a penalty shoot-out on March 8. Visiting fans spilled onto the playing surface to celebrate, prompting more than 100 home supporters to charge towards them. At least 37 people have been arrested, and police and stewards sustained injuries.
The physical and operational toll detailed in an independent review by Mark Blackbourne highlights the severe security risks inherent in managing high-profile derby fixtures. A flare struck a Rangers security operative, while the CCTV operator was also hit. The club's Stand Manager was confronted by a masked fan, struck in the face, and hospitalised with a traumatic inner ear injury.
The review exposes a profound breakdown in stadium control. A post-match safety advisory group meeting recorded that experienced Police Scotland officers were described as "petrified" of policing another match at the stadium. Blackbourne called this reference "deeply disturbing" and warned it demands serious attention from all parties responsible for safety governance at major fixtures.
The disorder has sparked a dispute over risk management. The match was the first since 2018 to feature an away allocation of 8,042 tickets, a sharp increase from the 2,000 to 2,500 range used in recent league games. Rangers argued the review failed to properly scrutinise this decision, stating the large allocation "materially changed the risk profile of the fixture".
Individuals interviewed for the review also compared the organisational structures of the Ultra groups involved to those of organised crime syndicates. The report recommended that incidents linked to these groups should face heavier sanctions from the clubs.
Rangers stated it accepts responsibility for areas within its control but has no plans to restore historic away allocations. Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said the governing body will work with police and the government to implement the recommendations. "The scenes witnessed during the cup tie, and subsequently investigated by our Review Lead, should have no place in our game," Maxwell said.
