The Scottish FA has issued identical notices of complaints to Celtic and Rangers after the unrest that followed their Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox in March, adding another disciplinary layer to a match already marked by serious safety concerns.
Celtic prevailed on 8 March via a penalty shoot-out in the first derby since 2018 to feature a full allocation of away fans. But the occasion quickly turned chaotic when some visiting supporters spilled onto the playing surface and home fans attempted to confront them, with fireworks thrown back and forth. In the aftermath, at least 37 people were arrested, while police and stewards were injured.
What the review said
The independent review, led by Mark Blackbourne, painted a stark picture of how close the situation came to something far worse. Blackbourne said the scenes came within a very small margin of becoming a violent mass confrontation, while also describing a crushing incident as a real and foreseeable risk.
His findings also went beyond the immediate match-day disorder. Blackbourne said ultra groups exercise a power over clubs and the wider supporter base that is disproportionate to their size, and added that there seems to be no independent external scrutiny of the clubs' or Police Scotland's operational plans for high-risk fixtures.
That matters because this was not a routine derby. It was a high-risk Old Firm cup tie with a large away allocation, pitch access issues and a setting that required careful planning. The review focused on safety, security and supporter conduct, and the latest complaints from the Scottish FA show the match is still generating consequences weeks later.
Responses from Celtic and Rangers
Celtic responded by saying: While we remain in dispute regarding certain points within this review, our club does not shrink from criticisms.
The club also said it was deeply concerned by the actions of a section of the home support, some of them masked and carrying weapons, and by the subsequent attacks on Celtic supporters and staff. Celtic added that it remained puzzled as to why the actions recommended by the Safety Advisory Group of Glasgow City Council were overturned at a senior level within Police Scotland.
For Rangers and Celtic, the Scottish FA notices of complaint now move the issue from review stage to formal disciplinary territory. The exact outcome remains to be seen, but the scale of the disorder and the language used in the report make clear that the governing body is treating the Ibrox unrest as a serious matter rather than a routine post-match complaint.
