Large away supports at Old Firm 'unlikely' unless action taken, says police chief

Large away allocations are unlikely to be permitted for future Old Firm games unless significant action is taken, according to Police Scotland.

Chief Superintendent Emma Croft was speaking a day after violent scenes marred the end of Celtic’s Scottish Cup quarter-final victory at Ibrox.

Dozens of Celtic fans spilled onto the pitch in celebration when Martin O’Neill’s side won on penalties, followed by an invasion by hundreds of Rangers fans from the opposite end of the stadium.

Croft said: “Officers couldn’t move quickly enough onto the pitch due to other individuals intent on causing violence and disorder.

“It was a case of how quickly we could get that line in. My view was that we responded quickly, and as a consequence, we were able to stop a lot of the violence.

“The coming together of the two sides, that line allows us to split the two sides and de-escalate the situation.”

Celtic and Rangers are due to face off again in the post-Premiership split next month, but the allocation of away fans will be smaller than that of Sunday’s Scottish Cup game.

The 7,500 away tickets given to Celtic for Sunday’s match at Ibrox was to comply with Scottish Cup rules.

Croft said it is “not likely at the moment” that an allocation of the same size seen on Sunday would be allowed unless significant action and conversations are had between police, clubs, the SFA and the local authority.

She said: “We’ve asked for a review today with the clubs, the footballing authority and local authority in terms of what that stadium set up would be and importantly, what fan numbers there will be.

“There are lots of conversations to take place, with the clubs in particular, about how we take that forward…some significant conversations in the coming days.”

On the likelihood of a large away allocation at an Old Firm game again, she added: “I wouldn’t discount it, but at the moment until that work is undertaken and those conversations have been had and off the back of yesterday, I would say it’s not likely at the moment. But I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

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Police will ‘pursue everyone involved’ in Old Firm violence

Rangers and Celtic fans clashed on the pitch and Ibrox was vandalised after Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final.

Police Scotland said in a statement on Sunday evening that a number of arrests had already been made and that officers and members of the public had been injured.

Meanwhile, First Minister John Swinney called the scenes “completely and utterly unacceptable” and confirmed police action will follow in due course.

He said: “The violence after the Old Firm game yesterday at Ibrox was completely and utterly unacceptable – there is no justification for it whatsoever.

“There was severe danger applied to fans and to police officers and to stewards, it was completely unacceptable in every respect.

“What I want to make clear is the police have my full support in pursuing everyone involved in this incident, also that we will work constructively with the clubs – who must be horrified by the scenes that they witnessed – as well to address the situation, to work with the Scottish Football Association, to make sure that collaboratively and collectively, we do all that we can to make sure that these types of incidents have no place in Scottish football.”

Flares were thrown as police and stewards formed a barricade to separate the two groups of supporters.

One video appeared to show a police officer being tripped by a supporter, while another appeared to show one fan kicking another in the head on the pitch.

Pictures shared on social media also appear to show the Broomloan Road stand, which was filled with 7,500 away fans for the first time since 2018, heavily vandalised.

Seats were ripped apart, and bunting was left in parts of the stand, while graffiti mocking the Ibrox disaster was sprayed upon the walls.

The SFA confirmed on Sunday it has launched an investigation.

A statement from PFA Scotland, which represents players, said: “Player safety is not optional. It is not negotiable. A footballer’s workplace is the pitch.

“PFA Scotland condemns the unacceptable scenes witnessed during yesterday’s Rangers v Celtic match. What unfolded is yet another stark reminder of the escalating risks faced by professional footballers in Scotland simply for doing their jobs.

“No employee in any other sector should be expected to tolerate threats, intimidation or physical danger while carrying out their duties and footballers cannot be treated differently.

“This is not a phenomenon solely for the Old Firm. Sadly, there have been incidents across the country, many of which have led to clubs making strong condemnatory statements.

“When players are placed at risk, the consequences extend beyond football. There are serious questions raised about workplace safety standards and potential legal ramifications for clubs, governing bodies and individuals who fail to uphold their duty of care.

“We welcome the Scottish FA and Police Scotland investigations, the findings of which must be made public.”

There must be stronger protections and accountability with increased sanctions for individuals and clubs where player safety is compromised. In addition, wider and more consistent use of Football Banning Orders for those who engage in violent, abusive or dangerous behaviour is required.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said those who stormed the pitch had “selfish reasons” for doing so.

He said: “Once again, it is a small group of idiots that want to ruin it for everybody else and anybody that thinks the right thing to do is to try and storm the pitch or to threaten or attack a steward or come on with masks to try and act in a threatening way clearly has very, very selfish reasons and doesn’t actually care about either the club they claim to support, or wider Scottish football or indeed Scotland’s reputation in all of these things.

“I just think it’s abhorrent and shameful, to be frank.”

Rangers and Celtic have both been contacted for comment.