Police Scotland have condemned the scenes that erupted at Ibrox following Celtic’s Scottish Cup quarter-final penalty shootout victory over Rangers, describing the disorder as shameful and revealing that officers faced sustained hostility and violence from those involved.
A number of arrests were made after fans from both ends clashed on the pitch. Rangers supporters from the section occupied by the Union Bears ultras moved toward the Broomloan Stand after a portion of the 7,500 Celtic fans ran onto the playing surface to celebrate the shootout win. Flares were thrown back and forth as police and stewards worked to form a barrier between the two groups.
Officers intervened to detain a supporter after Celtic players, including Tomas Cvancara, ran toward an incident involving a member of their backroom staff. Cvancara, who had scored the winning penalty, was still visibly affected when he appeared for a post-match interview on Premier Sports, with what appeared to be blood stains on his shirt. Footage also showed Celtic right-back Julian Araujo being shoved by a Rangers supporter before making his way toward the tunnel, while Rangers player Nedim Bajrami had a confrontation with a member of Celtic’s staff.
Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen issued a stark statement, describing the scenes as shameful. She confirmed that officers and members of the public had been injured during what she called a despicable display, with many individuals having armed themselves with objects clearly intended to cause harm. She thanked all officers and staff deployed on the day and said Police Scotland would work alongside both clubs and the Scottish Football Association to carry out a thorough investigation. That investigation would also cover reports of fans entering the Broomloan Stand without tickets before kick-off, as well as deeply offensive graffiti referencing the 66 people who lost their lives in the 1971 Ibrox disaster.
Sunday’s match had been the first occasion since 2018 that Celtic supporters were allocated the full Broomloan Stand. Given what followed the final whistle, a return to that arrangement any time soon appears highly unlikely.
The match itself had been a reminder of why the Old Firm is regarded as one of the most intense derbies in world football. Sir Alex Ferguson once described Celtic Park as the greatest atmosphere he had ever experienced, recalling that Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic had said the same. Gary Neville, who played under Ferguson more than 600 times and won eight Premier League titles alongside two Champions Leagues, took a different view, insisting Ibrox produced the most staggering atmosphere he had ever witnessed in his career, describing the noise before kick-off at one particular game as something he had never encountered anywhere else in football. Sunday’s events have cast a dark shadow over both venues and both supporter groups, at a time when the derby was generating exactly the kind of electric atmosphere that should be celebrated.