The Celtic Fans Collective have released a scathing statement blasting Police Scotland and Mark Hargreaves for their handling of crowd control at Ibrox.
The aftermath of Celtic’s win over Rangers continues after the unsavoury Ibrox scenes continue to dominate the headlines this week.
“Supporters do not require heavier policing or more restrictive measures — they require competent planning and safe crowd management.”
And as the media and pundits continue to peddle the line that Celtic fans were as much to blame for the events after full time, the Collective have hit out and specifically pointed the finger at Hargreaves and the police for their inability to take charge on the day.
Celtic Fans Collective say Mark Hargreaves position ‘untenable’ after Ibrox supporter safety concerns
The statement from the Celtic Fans Collective places heavy focus on the role of Mark Hargreaves as Head of Safety and Security, questioning both his involvement and his continued position following the events surrounding Sunday’s match at Ibrox.
The Collective argue that given the club’s recent emphasis on supporter conduct and stadium safety, it is reasonable to expect clarity from Celtic regarding what role Hargreaves played in the matchday operation.
How can we ensure that the Glasgow derby can continue having full allocations after the latest incident?
However, the statement claims he was ‘once again inexplicably absent‘ on the day, raising further concerns among supporters already critical of the club’s handling of fan safety issues.
The Fans Collective also states that Hargreaves ‘lost the trust of many Celtic fans some time ago,‘ and goes further by declaring that his position is now “untenable.”
This criticism comes amid wider questions over the planning and execution of crowd management around the fixture, with supporters looking for accountability from both Celtic and Police Scotland following reports of dangerous overcrowding before kick-off.
Celtic Fans Collective accuse Police Scotland of failures after ‘crush-like’ Ibrox entry scenes
The Collective statement then goes on to raise a series of concerns about the conduct and planning of Police Scotland surrounding Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox.
The group points to previous independent investigations into incidents involving Celtic supporters, including reports by Fairhurst consultants in 2018 and again in 2025, which identified significant failings in how Police Scotland handled large groups of fans. Those past findings are used to question whether meaningful lessons have been learned.
According to the statement, concerns were raised in advance of the match about the new entry arrangements for Celtic supporters. Despite those warnings, the plans went ahead, and supporters were reportedly funnelled into a restricted approach route, resulting in heavy overcrowding before reaching the turnstiles.
The Fans Collective claims that rather than attempting to ease congestion, ‘Police Scotland deployed officers in riot gear‘, a move supporters say ‘increased tension and led to injuries‘.
Taken together, the group argues that the events raise serious questions about the ‘planning and execution of the policing and crowd management operation‘, adding that recent incidents do little to inspire confidence in Police Scotland’s ability to design safe arrangements for supporters.
The statement concludes that supporters do not require heavier policing or more restrictive measures, but instead ‘competent planning and proper crowd management‘ to ensure similar conditions cannot happen again.
It is abundantly clear that Sunday’s scenes are not all down to the actions of Celtic and Rangers supporters but a systematic failure of Celtic, Rangers and the Police’s organisation on the day.
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