The Scottish Football Association have issued a statement on the events that unfolded after Rangers vs Celtic last Sunday.
There has been widespread reaction in Scotland and beyond after fans of both teams invaded the pitch after the Scottish Cup tie, leading to several high-profile, violent incidents.
Celtic beat Rangers on penalties, leading some Hoops fans to invade the pitch in celebration. In retaliation, a group of Rangers fans – many of whom were masked – charged across the stadium.
In a statement about the events, the SFA have confirmed that an independent review will take place.
How can we ensure that the Glasgow derby can continue having full allocations after the latest incident?
Scottish FA’s statement on Rangers vs Celtic
The statement on the Scottish FA website read: “The Scottish FA can confirm that the Compliance Officer is collating evidence from the weekend’s derby match at Ibrox Stadium.
“Any alleged breaches will be notified to relevant parties in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol.
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“Furthermore, following discussions with relevant stakeholders, the Scottish FA will commission an independent review of the matchday safety and security operations for this Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final fixture.
“This review will seek to provide recommendations for all parties to ensure no repeat of the events that have tarnished the image and reputation of the game.”
The game was the first Glasgow Derby with a traditional 7,500 allocation of away fans present in eight years.
This was due to Scottish Cup rules giving Celtic the right to request 20% of Ibrox for their fans. In the Scottish Premiership, allocations have recently risen to 3,000, after years of little to no away fans attending the derbies.
Given the events that occurred, a full-time return to maximum allocations now looks extremely likely. Much-maligned derbies without away fans may be just around the corner.
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Rangers vs Celtic fan incident reactions
The incident has triggered reactions from pundits, officials and clubs alike.
In a comprehensive statement, The Celtic Fans Collective was highly critical of police operations before, during and after the match
Simon Jordan also questioned the operation as well as the declining funding given to police operations for major matches in Scotland.
In response, the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable have both defended the police force, with the former condemning the two clubs for a lack of comment on the conduct of fans.
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