Celtic have defended their fans over the on-pitch clashes at Ibrox while Rangers condemned the disorder after the Scottish Cup quarter-final.
The two clubs broke their silence on events following Celtic’s penalty shootout win on Sunday, which saw fans of both sides enter the pitch in the aftermath.
It’s after the Scottish FA announced an independent review has been commissioned, looking into the matchday safety and security operations, while the compliance officer is collating evidence around the derby match.
Police Scotland chief constable Jo Farrell criticised both clubs on Wednesday for not speaking out sooner on scenes that were also criticised by Scotland’s First Minister.
Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson refused to condemn his club’s supporters, citing other occasions when fans have ‘spilled’ onto the pitch in celebration.
Police at Ibrox had to separate Rangers and Celtic fans after they entered the pitch
Wilson told Celtic TV: “It was a great outcome and every Celtic supporter celebrated with it. It’s unfortunate that the events after the game have overshadowed the result, the fantastic spirit and resilience that our players showed in achieving it and the management skills of Martin and his team.
“I was disappointed with the comments of the chief constable (of Police Scotland). She presumably knows Celtic work closely with Police Scotland. We respect the role of the Safety Advisory Group and when there’s evidence of unacceptable behaviours we act against individuals and groups. Measuring responses from condemnatory statements isn’t really very accurate. If this could be resolved by statements of condemnation – this would’ve been resolved decades ago.
“Really, it is actions that matter and the way we, as a club, handle these experiences and the way others handle these experiences.
“I think if you are going to ask for condemnation you have to be more specific and there are certainly things which I would happily condemn and regret but probably the highest profile aspect of this was after the penalty went in and Celtic had won.
Tomas Cvancara scored the winning penalty against Rangers
“What you had there was a euphoric response from our supporters. It’s not uncommon. In fact, it’s happened on quite numerous occasions this season alone in Scottish football where you have an overspill onto the pitch and that in itself does not normally draw expressions of condemnation.
“Therefore, what I would say about that is that I welcome SFA’s intention to have a full enquiry so let’s look at the evidence.
“If there is evidence of violence or threats of violence, then of course I will condemn that but let’s look at the evidence before we create a false narrative.”
Rangers: Ibrox disorder unacceptable and unequivocally condemned
Meanwhile, Rangers condemned the clashes and said “everyone must be prepared to face proper scrutiny”.
Rangers say they “will represent the club and our supporters robustly” when cooperating with the authorities.
Spectators from both ends of Ibrox made their way onto the pitch
“The disorder that occurred on Sunday was unacceptable and we condemn it unequivocally,” a club statement read.
“There are now a number of serious issues which require proper examination. For that reason, we agree that there should be a fully independent review into the events surrounding the match.
“That review must be thorough and wide-ranging, examining the decisions and actions of all relevant parties. Its scope must include the broader context around this fixture, from the initial decisions on ticket allocations through to the sequence of incidents that followed the match.
“All parties must be prepared to have their actions and decision-making subjected to proper scrutiny.”
Police made nine arrests on the day of the Old Firm clash, including six within Ibrox
Any fans that are identified and convicted of offences connected to the match will face “appropriate sanctions”, Rangers say, including “the potential withdrawal of ticketing privileges and stadium bans”.
However, Rangers add that they will “not accept a narrative that ignores the full context of what happened”.
“We recognise that many fans want the club to say more at this stage, and supporters should be assured that we are across the detail of the issues being discussed and the questions being raised,” the statement continued.
“However, it is important that we respect any ongoing investigative or judicial processes and do nothing that could prejudice them. There will be an appropriate time to address those matters fully.”
The statement added: “It is important that the reputation of Rangers supporters is treated fairly in this discussion.
“Tens of thousands of people attended Ibrox on Sunday simply to support their team with pride and to watch a football match.”
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Police Scotland’s Greater Glasgow Chief Superintendent Emma Croft insists larger away crowds at Old Firm games is ‘not workable’ after fans clashed at Ibrox following Celtic’s Scottish Cup win over Rangers
Rangers called out the “vile” and “cowardly” graffiti they discovered in the stadium referencing the Ibrox Disaster, which took the lives of 66 supporters in January 1971.
“What we can say now is that issues of stadium safety and the legacy of the Ibrox Disaster are deeply personal to this club,” the statement read.
“We were appalled to discover graffiti within the stadium referencing that tragedy. The memory of the 66 supporters who lost their lives in January 1971 deserves dignity and respect. To desecrate their memory is vile. It is cowardly. It is shameful.
“This is not football rivalry and it is not banter. It is the abuse of a tragedy that claimed 66 lives.”
Celtic to relay fan messages to enquiry
Wilson has met with Celtic fans since the match and will relay their concerns around the policing of the match with the relevant authorities.
He added: “Again, that will be part of this enquiry by the SFA and again, I welcome that. We met this week with the Celtic Supporters Association, a well-established, well-respected organisation which doesn’t raise issues lightly, and they had real concerns about the access to the Broomloan Stand and the departure from previous procedures, which they believed had worked well and a genuine concern about the safety of supporters.
“Again, we didn’t rush out a statement on that because we think the way to address that is through discussion with the authorities, again, an evidence-based approach leading to conclusions about what did go right and what did go wrong and lessons to be learned.
“We take that very seriously and I can assure you that there were people with a lot of experience of attending these games who had genuine concerns for the safety of supporters.”
Wilson has also offered an olive branch for the banned Green Brigade to return to Celtic Park this season, if they agree to the requirements set out by the Safety Advisory Group.
