This was the ugly end of an Old Firm afternoon that should have been about the football. Instead, John Smith and Mackenzie Graham have now been hit with five-year bans from every football ground in the UK, a punishment that underlines just how seriously disorder at the Rangers vs Celtic match is being treated.
In March, trouble flared after the Scottish Cup quarter-final, and the consequences are now stark. Smith and Graham are not just facing court penalties; they have been barred from supporting any team in person anywhere in the UK for five years. That is not a light touch. It is the football authorities and the courts drawing a hard line and making sure the message lands well beyond Glasgow.
What happened at the Scottish Cup quarter-final?
Smith, a Rangers fan, was seen throwing a bottle at Celtic supporters after the match and was apprehended by officers from Police Scotland. He later pled guilty to one charge of culpable and reckless behaviour and received a 12 month community payback order, a four-month tag and a five year football banning order.
Graham's conduct was different, but no less damaging. After the match, he jumped over a fence, led a group invading the pitch and repeatedly incited others to do the same. He later admitted a charge of breach of the peace and received a two-year community payback order, an electronic monitoring order and a five-year ban from every stadium.
A punishment aimed at the damage done
Fraser Gibson said the behaviour of the two men contributed to mayhem at a major sporting event, caused fear and distress among football fans and members of the public, and left peaceful supporters, children and disabled people caught up in the chaos and shepherded to safety. He also made the wider point that football-related crime is a blight on Scotland's communities and that it will not be tolerated.
That is the right tone, because this was not harmless mischief or some romantic notion of derby-day passion. It was disorder that turned a major sporting occasion into an unsafe one. If clubs, police and prosecutors are going to keep the game credible, then punishments like these have to be real, visible and uncomfortable.
The bans also matter because they go beyond a single fixture or a single rivalry. Five years away from every football ground in the UK is a serious restriction, and it makes clear that this kind of behaviour follows you far beyond the final whistle. In a week where other football arguments can be about fees, targets and next steps, as seen in pieces such as Aston Villa's £18million Harwood Bellis bid rejected as Southampton hold firm over centre-back and Derek McInnes swaps Hearts for Rangers as Spfl season opens with Old Firm edge, this is the harsher side of the sport: consequences.
And that is exactly the point. If anyone still thinks the Old Firm can be treated as a stage for disorder rather than a football match, these bans should put that idea to bed. Anyone who chooses to contribute to football-related disorder can expect to be held accountable by COPFS, Police Scotland and the courts. Quite right too.
