Celtic and Rangers have failed to overturn the order to play their next home Scottish Cup matches behind closed doors after the March disorder at Ibrox. Each club must also pay 100,000 pounds to its opponent. An additional suspended closed-door sanction was removed, while Celtic called the remaining punishment disproportionate.
Celtic and Rangers, the Scottish football clubs, must each play their next home Scottish Cup match behind closed doors. Their appeals left that sanction in place, along with the requirement for each club to pay 100,000 pounds to its visiting opponent. Both clubs presented their cases to the Scottish Football Association’s appeal tribunal on Monday.[1], [2]
A further closed-door match had been suspended until the end of next season and could have been activated by more trouble at a Scottish Cup fixture. The tribunal removed that additional sanction. The punishment followed disorder after the March quarterfinal at Ibrox, Rangers’ home stadium. Police reported 43 arrests, injuries to officers and the use of missiles and pyrotechnics.[1]
Celtic called the remaining punishment excessive and disproportionate. The club said it did not defend supporters entering the pitch, but argued that its fans’ celebratory incursion differed from the response that followed. It also said the decision disregarded its lack of responsibility for safety arrangements at Rangers’ stadium. An independent review led by Mark Blackbourne found that crushing and potentially life-threatening violence had been narrowly avoided. The review described Celtic fans entering to celebrate, followed by confrontational movement by Rangers supporters.[1]
