Police Scotland would not currently support another big away allocation for the next Old Firm fixture following trouble at Ibrox on Sunday.
Celtic beat Rangers on penalties in a Scottish Cup quarter-final, a result which sparked a pitch invasion from both sets of supporters.
There have currently been nine arrests made but Emma Croft, Greater Glasgow Division Chief Superintendent, Police Scotland, expects that number to rise “significantly”.
Celtic are set to host Rangers in the Scottish Premiership in the coming weeks where around 2,500 visiting fans should be admitted. That is after an agreement between the clubs to provide tickets for five per cent of the stadium for the league meetings.
That figure could now be cast into doubt, with the larger allocation on Sunday unlikely to be seen again going forward, as things stand. The 7,500 away tickets given to Celtic for Sunday’s match at Ibrox was to comply with Scottish Cup rules.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Croft said when asked if big away allocations would be repeated: “I couldn’t comment on that because it wouldn’t be me that made the decision but I would say to you that we will have a part to play in that conversation.”
Asked if the incidents on Sunday damaged the prospects of that, she added: “I would say it plays into and leads the conversation moving forward and probably puts us in a position whereby we cannot have what happened [on Sunday]. So our starting position is that number of away fans is not workable with currently.”
Police officers force fans back at Ibrox
Pressed on whether she would permit that attendance if it were her decision to make, she said: “No, not at this current time.”
Croft confirmed that “three or four” injuries had been sustained by police officers during the trouble but expected that reported number to rise.
Asked if there were enough police officers in the stadium to deal with potential clashes, Croft said: “My view was there were enough police officers within the stadium and a flex within those police officers as to what their duties would be and a sizable number of police officers outwith ready to support.
“But I put that in the context of 2026. I don’t have the luxury of a significant number of officers. The club operations should be in a position to respond and we will support that accordingly.
“I’m not, in a view, wanting to put more police officers into stadiums. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.”
Asked about the inevitability of trouble, she said: “My argument would be the minute we need to put more policing in because we assume that public can’t behave is a problem that we’ve got moving forward.
“So when we think about the allocation of tickets, away fans etc then that has to be built into what the policing capability and willingness is to support that operation and where our priorities lie elsewhere.”
What happened at Ibrox?
This was the first Old Firm game at Ibrox since 2018 where Celtic were given the full Broomloan Stand, meaning there were around 7,500 away fans at the game. That figure was agreed to comply with Scottish Cup rules on ticket allocations.
The league match between Rangers and Celtic the previous weekend had around 2,000 away fans after an agreement between clubs to give around five per cent of stadium capacity to away teams for this fixture.
That followed seasons of reduced allocations, or at times no away fans at games.
Celtic progressed to the semi-finals with a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Rangers after the goalless draw at Ibrox, which sparked a pitch invasion from both sets of supporters.
Fans stormed the pitch at Ibrox
Missiles were thrown as police and stewards moved to form a barrier between the two sets of fans. Pyrotechnics were also used by those invading the pitch.
Order was then restored as the 7,500 Celtic supporters were left to celebrate alone.
Old Firm violence condemned
First minister John Swinney has described the scenes as “completely and utterly unacceptable” and says the police have “his full support in pursuing everyone involved in this incident”.
Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen said: “The behaviour of a number of supporters at the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox was shameful. It must be condemned by everyone involved in football and wider society.
“A number of arrests have already been made, and Police Scotland will now work with both clubs and the Scottish Football Association to carry out a robust investigation following the scenes on the pitch at the conclusion of the match.
“Officers and stewards were faced with extreme hostility and violence over a sustained period, with many individuals having armed themselves with items clearly intended to cause harm. Officers and members of the public have been injured in this despicable display and I want to express my thanks to all officers and staff deployed.
“The investigation will also include the actions of some supporters who entered the Broomloan Road stand without tickets before the match started, forcing delays in the security operation and the turnstiles to be closed for a period of time.
Police line up to block fans from storming the pitch at full-time at Ibrox
“I would also urge anyone with information about who was involved in disorder before, during or after the match to get in touch with Police Scotland on 101.”
The Scottish FA quickly condemned the fans’ behaviour and said “an investigation will be carried out immediately”.
