Celtic and Rangers Lose Appeals as Scottish Cup Closed Doors Order Stands
The Scottish FA appellate tribunal has kept the stadium closure in place, and Celtic have hit back at what they see as an unfair outcome.
Celtic will play their next Scottish Cup home tie in an empty stadium after the club’s appeal against the sanctions handed out over the Ibrox quarter-final was rejected. Rangers are in exactly the same position, with both Glasgow sides failing to have the closed doors order overturned when their cases were heard by a Scottish FA appellate tribunal on Monday.
The financial penalty also stands. Each club must hand £100,000 to the visitors when that home cup tie comes around, to cover lost ticket income, as set out when the original punishment was announced at the end of August.
One part of the appeal succeeds
As BBC Sport reported on Thursday evening, the tribunal set aside the suspended sanction that would have closed the grounds again had there been any repeat of the trouble. That is why the club describes the appeal as partially upheld, even though the headline punishment has not moved.
Celtic released a statement within minutes of the decision, and it did not hold back. “While we recognise that our appeal has been partially upheld, we remain extremely disappointed by this excessive and disproportionate punishment relating to an incursion by supporters at a moment of emotion and celebration,” the club said on its official website.
The board’s main complaint is that the two sets of fans have been treated as if they did the same thing. “It continues to be our view that a false equivalence has been drawn in relation to the very different actions of two groups,” the statement continued.
“We have not defended supporters entering the field of play and understand the part emotion plays in football. We would have expected this context and the very obvious distinction in behaviours to have been recognised.”
The club also pointed out where responsibility for the day itself lay. “Additionally, the fact that Celtic Football Club had no responsibility for stadium safety arrangements also seems to have been disregarded in establishing these sanctions.”
Rangers had not commented on the ruling when the decision became public.
How we got here
The case goes back to March, when Celtic knocked Rangers out of the cup at Ibrox with a 4-2 win on penalties. Supporters from both ends ended up on the pitch, pyrotechnics and other objects were thrown, and police officers were among those hurt. By 25 August, 43 people had been arrested.
An independent review led by Mark Blackbourne, published in July, found failings at both clubs and said the scenes “came within a very small margin of becoming a violent mass confrontation”.
The sanctions followed a few weeks later, and STV noted at the time that the £100,000 must be paid within 30 days of the match being played. Both clubs lodged appeals, and we looked ahead to the October hearing back in September.
What it means for supporters
The impact now depends on the draw. Whenever Celtic are next handed a home tie in the Scottish Cup, the stands at Celtic Park will be empty and the visitors will leave with a six figure sum on top of whatever happens on the pitch.
Away fans are already missing from Old Firm league fixtures this season after the clubs agreed in September that there would be no visiting supporters at derbies in SPFL competitions. Attention for now returns to the league, where Celtic sit four points clear after the 2-2 draw with Dundee United in midweek.
