Police said they faced “extreme hostility and violence” during the post-match attack at Ibrox after Celtic beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final.
Police chief slams ‘disgraceful’ Ibrox scenes
Dozens of people have been arrested after fans clashed following the Hoops’ penalty shoot-out win at Ibrox.
Rangers fans in the home section of the Union Bears ultras headed towards the Broomloan Stand after 7,500 away fans ran onto the pitch to cheer.
Flares were launched back and forth from the Broomloan Stand and continued to be thrown as police and officials built a barrier between the two groups of fans.
Police arrested a fan after Celtic players, including Tomas Cvancara, rushed to the scene amid an incident involving a member of the backroom staff.
Cvancara, who scored the winning penalty, was later interviewed by Premier Sports and appeared to still have blood stains on his shirt.
Footage also showed Celtic defender Julian Araujo being pushed by a Rangers fan before he could run towards the tunnel, while Nedim Bajrami had an altercation with a member of Celtic staff.
Police Scotland chief Superintendent Kate Stephen described the scenes as “disgraceful”.
He added: “A number of people have been arrested, and Police Scotland will be working with both clubs and the Scottish Football Association to carry out a thorough investigation following the scenes on the pitch at the end of the match.
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“Officers and managers have been dealing with extreme hatred and violence for a long time, many people armed with things intended to cause harm.”
“Police officers and members of the public were injured in this despicable display and I want to express my gratitude to all officers and staff on duty.”
He added that the investigation will include the actions of fans entering the Broomloan end without tickets before the game, and there are also reports of documented footage of the 1971 Ibrox disaster.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Gary Neville disagree about the best fans in Scotland
While there is no doubt that the Old Firm is one of the hottest derbies in world football, there is always debate as to which group of fans creates the best atmosphere.
A number of famous players, managers and experts have been asked this question over the years, and Sir Alex Ferguson, who was in charge of Scotland before taking over at Manchester United, once said that Celtic Park was the best atmosphere he had ever had.
“Parkhead is the best I’ve ever been in. The players were talking about that the other day – Vidic and Ronaldo were saying it was the best they’d ever played in. Credit to the fans for that because they’re not going up at half-time. It’s clear the Celtic players are responding when you look at the results they’ve got. You’ve got to run that extra yard or you’ll soon get them.”
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who played under Ferguson more than 600 times, won eight Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues, said Ibrox was “amazing” and superior to their city rivals.
“The best atmosphere I’ve ever seen in my life was Ibrox. As the game was about to start, I thought, “What the f**k is this?” Celtic were loud. Phil scored an early goal. Honestly, in the first few minutes before the game and when the game started, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. The noise. Honestly, Ibrox, it was unbelievable. Amazing.”
Sunday’s meeting was the first time Celtic fans have been treated to a full Broomloan share since 2018, and it seems unlikely we will see a full day at the Old Firm for a long time following the scenes in full.
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