Celtic and Rangers ordered to play Scottish Cup matches behind closed doors

Celtic and Rangers have both been ordered to play their next Scottish Cup matches without supporters after crowd trouble during last season’s meeting between the clubs.

The Scottish Football Association has also fined each club £100,000. The money from each penalty will be given to the opponent in that club’s next Scottish Cup fixture.

Both clubs have been warned that they will face a further fixture played behind closed doors if another incident or unacceptable behaviour occurs.

The sanctions follow disorder at a Scottish Cup quarter-final match between Celtic and Rangers last season. Supporters entered the pitch after the game, which was followed by further disciplinary scrutiny from the Scottish Football Association.

Celtic later defeated Rangers in last season’s semi-final, winning on penalties.

In a statement, Celtic said it was “shocked by this disproportionate punishment for a relatively minor pitch invasion by Celtic supporters at a moment of passion and celebration.”

The club added: “Celtic Football Club has never condoned supporters entering the field of play and we have taken repeated action when this has happened. However, we understand the role passion plays in football and expected the committee to take into account the context and the differences in behaviour.”

Celtic also pointed to its status as the visiting team for the match in question.

“Another important distinction is that on this occasion Celtic was not the home club responsible for the stadium safety arrangements,” the club said.

It concluded: “We will study the committee’s report and reasons when they become available, and will then consider our next steps.”

The Scottish Football Association’s decision means the next Scottish Cup match involving each club must be played without a crowd. The financial penalties are instead directed towards the respective opponents in those fixtures.

Celtic’s punishment comes during a season in which the Scottish champions were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the qualifying round. They subsequently moved into the UEFA Europa League.

The club’s squad includes Egyptian forward Haitham Hassan, who joined Celtic during the summer after moving from Spanish side Real Oviedo.

The disciplinary case relates to events surrounding the meeting between two of Scottish football’s biggest clubs, whose matches have regularly attracted intense attention. Supporters entering the pitch after the relevant fixture prompted the Scottish Football Association to examine the conduct of both clubs and the circumstances in which the disorder took place.

Celtic have rejected the severity of the punishment while acknowledging that entering the field is not acceptable. Their response also argues that responsibility for safety arrangements should be considered when judging what happened at the stadium.

The club says it will wait for the committee’s full report before deciding whether to take any further action. Rangers have also been issued with the same closed-doors requirement and £100,000 fine under the Scottish Football Association’s ruling.