Journalist Graham Spiers has examined new footage from the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic and directed pointed criticism at the Celtic supporters involved in gaining unauthorised entry to Ibrox.
Spiers, who writes for the Scottish Daily Mail and Sunday Times and is known to have Celtic sympathies, said the footage he accessed showed around 20 to 30 Hoops fans forcing their way past stewards through a disabled access door and into the stadium without tickets. Sharing screenshots from his Patreon article on X, he described the scenes as thoroughly disgusting, noting that the fans involved, again predominantly young, simply overpowered the stewards and barged their way into the ground.
Nine arrests have been made so far, though Police Scotland are expected to make further arrests in the coming days as their investigation continues.
Neither Rangers nor Celtic had issued official statements at the time of writing, though Rangers had drawn fan criticism for continuing to post on social media as normal in the immediate aftermath before apparently reconsidering that approach. Statements from both clubs are anticipated shortly, as the incidents cannot realistically go unaddressed.
Any statement from Rangers would be expected to condemn the behaviour of supporters from both sides, acknowledge the damage caused to individuals and to the stadium, and outline the steps being taken in cooperation with the Scottish FA and Police Scotland to prevent a repeat. Supporter groups have been vocal in criticising the police for what they see as inadequate preparation, but the clubs themselves are unlikely to echo that criticism in their official communications. The focus will instead be on working with authorities to determine how such situations can be avoided going forward.