The two Old Firm clubs have lodged appeals against a Scottish Football Association sanction that requires them to stage their next Scottish Cup home fixtures behind closed doors and pay a combined sum that includes a £100,000 payment to the opposition club.
Sanction follows Ibrox pitch invasions in March
The punishment stems from the quarter-final meeting at Ibrox in March, a match that dissolved into disorder after the final whistle. Spectators from both sides ran onto the playing surface following a goalless draw that Celtic decided on penalties, and police described scenes involving projectiles and pyrotechnics that left officers injured. Police Scotland subsequently made 43 arrests.
Terms of the punishment and the appeal
Under the Scottish FA ruling, the clubs must play their next Scottish Cup home tie without fans in attendance, and face a trigger that would see a second fixture closed to supporters if further trouble occurs at a Cup game before the end of next season. The clubs have also contested the financial penalty ordered as part of the decision.
- 43 people arrested after the Ibrox incidents.
- Ahead of the match, around 7,500 travelling Celtic supporters occupied the Broomloan Stand.
- The appeal hearing is scheduled for 26 October.
Context and consequences for Scottish football
The row exposes ongoing tensions around crowd allocations in the fixture between the country’s two biggest clubs. The match at Ibrox was the first since 2018 in which Celtic received the full Broomloan allocation, a figure set to comply with Scottish Cup ticket rules. The previous weekend’s league meeting had a much smaller away allocation — roughly 2,500 — agreed between the clubs and equating to about five per cent of capacity.
The appeal will test whether the Scottish FA’s deterrent — a combination of stadium closure and financial sanction — stands up to scrutiny. A successful challenge could alter how discipline is imposed after high-profile incidents, while a failed appeal would keep strict measures in place and signal a tough stance on supporter misconduct.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Arrests | 43 |
| Away fans at Ibrox | ~7,500 in Broomloan Stand |
| Next action date | Appeal hearing, 26 October |
How the appeal is decided will have immediate implications for cup ties involving Old Firm participants and broader ramifications for policing, club responsibilities and matchday safety protocols across Scottish football.
