Celtic fans locked out of next home Scottish Cup tie as SFA appeal only partly succeeds
The Scottish FA Appellate Tribunal has kept the closed-doors order on Celtic's next home Scottish Cup tie, though the suspended extra sanctions have gone. That tie could come as early as the fourth round, leaving supporters shut out of Celtic Park while the club defends the trophy.
The trouble at Ibrox has now produced a public row between Celtic and the governing body.
Celtic responded with a strongly worded statement. The club called the punishment “excessive and disproportionate”. It also accused the governing body of drawing a “false equivalence” between the two sets of fans. Celtic argued that its supporters came onto the pitch in a moment of celebration. The club also argued that it had no responsibility for stadium safety at Ibrox.
Rangers’ appeal was also only partly upheld. The outcomes and written reasons for both clubs were published after the hearing.
Payment condition leaves the closed-doors order untouched
The tribunal added a new condition to the compensatory payment. That change makes no difference to the requirement for the tie to be played without spectators, the tribunal ruled.
The original sanctions were imposed under Rule 37. They require the money to go to the visiting club within 30 days of the closed-doors match. Celtic could therefore be without gate support and still owe a significant sum to their opponents.
Both clubs admitted the disciplinary charge arising from the match on Sunday 8 March 2026. Officers were injured as missiles and pyrotechnics were thrown. An independent review led by Mark Blackbourne found failings at both clubs. It also criticised the SFA for not taking a firmer line on crowd disorder in the past.
Celtic’s case rests on the claim that their supporters’ conduct differed from that of the home fans. The club has now made that argument against the SFA in public.
Fourth-round weekend in January is the earliest the ban can apply
The fallout has already reached other fixtures. Rangers gave Celtic only 300 tickets for this month’s League Cup tie at Ibrox, citing the independent report. In September an agreement was reached that no away supporters would attend any Old Firm derby in this season’s SPFL competitions.
For the cup holders, the timing of the closed-doors match now depends on the draw. An away draw would push the sanction further into the tournament.
The Scottish FA calendar sets out the remaining stages. The fifth round is scheduled for the weekend of 6 February 2027 and the quarter-finals for the weekend of 6 March 2027. The final is on Saturday 22 May 2027.
Source material
Appellate Tribunal Outcomes: Rangers FC and Celtic FC (Scottish FA)
Celtic and Rangers ordered to play match behind closed doors after Scottish Cup chaos (The Independent)
Celtic Football Club statement (Celtic FC)
Celtic & Rangers Scottish Cup stadium closure upheld (BBC Sport Scotland)
