Celtic and Rangers cited ‘near misses’ after unrest at Ibrox

Rangers and Celtic face disciplinary charges for unrest following their Scottish Cup meeting at Ibrox in March.

The Scottish Football Association issued identical notices of complaint to both clubs as it released its independent review into the events surrounding the quarter-final tie.

Both are accused of breaching Rule 37 of the SFA, which focuses on “good order and safety” and “unacceptable behaviour”.

The rule covers “policies and procedures” and whether clubs take appropriate measures to identify and deal with supporters who engage in unacceptable behaviour.

The clubs face hearings on August 13.

Clashes took place on the pitch after eventual cup winners Celtic won via a penalty shoot-out on 8 March.

Some visiting fans spilled onto the playing surface to celebrate, with home fans then attempting to confront them as fireworks were repeatedly thrown.

At least 37 people were arrested for the disturbance, which resulted in injuries to police and stewards.

Meanwhile, the review described the events of March 8 as “a near miss”, saying the ugly scenes “came within a narrow margin of turning into a violent mass clash”.

Lead author Mark Blackbourn also said that a “crushing incident was a real and foreseeable risk” due to “fans surging past police and stewards in the trained ultra group”.

The report added: “Ultra groups exercise power over clubs and larger supporter bases that are proportionate to their size” and “there appears to be no independent external investigation into the clubs’ or Police Scotland’s operational plans for high-risk fixtures”.

It was the first Old Firm fixture since 2018 to feature a full allocation of away fans.

The review also noted that “the current sanctions framework holds individuals accountable but largely insulates clubs from the consequences of their supporters’ behaviour”, saying it provides “insufficient motivation” to control the problem.

The review called for stronger sanctions, including stadium and stand closures, suggesting that the SFA “had disciplinary powers to act more severely than they did but chose not to use them”, describing the governing body as “too modest and too inconsistent”.

An independent SFA judicial panel will consider the review, chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “We will work together with the SPFL, the club, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government to ensure that there is no repeat of the incident which tarnishes the image and reputation of the game.”