Celtic and Rangers ordered to play Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors after Ibrox chaos

Celtic and Rangers have each been ordered to play their next home Scottish Cup match behind closed doors, with both clubs also required to pay their opponents £100,000 in compensation for lost gate receipts, following a Scottish Football Association disciplinary hearing.

The sanctions stem from the disorder that overshadowed Celtic’s Scottish Cup quarter-final victory at Ibrox in March, when Rangers supporters charged onto the pitch to confront Celtic fans who had spilled onto the playing surface to celebrate their side’s penalty shoot-out win. Dozens of arrests were made in the aftermath of the clashes.

Both clubs admitted charges relating to unacceptable conduct by their supporters. An independent review commissioned in the wake of the incidents had already concluded that “crushing” and “life-threatening violence” were narrowly avoided on the night.

The closed-door ruling will apply to each club’s next home tie in the competition, with the £100,000 payment intended to compensate opponents for the share of gate receipts they will forfeit as a result. The SFA has also warned that any repeat of crowd trouble at Scottish Cup ties within the next two seasons would trigger a further behind-closed-doors punishment.