The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has confirmed that both Celtic and Rangers will play their forthcoming Scottish Cup home matches without supporters, after the clubs’ appeals against the sanctions were rejected by an appellate tribunal. The decision, announced on Monday, also requires the clubs to pay £100,000 to the visiting teams in each of their respective fixtures. A previously suspended ban on fans for future breaches was overturned, but the tribunal left the current closure in place.
Celtic and Rangers presented their cases to the SFA’s appellate panel, arguing that the penalties were disproportionate. Celtic’s statement described the punishment as “excessive and disproportionate” and claimed a “false equivalence” had been drawn between the behaviour of their fans, who had entered the pitch in a moment of emotion and celebration, and that of Rangers supporters. The club also insisted it had no responsibility for the safety arrangements at Ibrox and therefore should not be treated the same as Rangers. Rangers, meanwhile, maintained that the sanctions were justified given the severity of the disorder at the end of last season’s quarter‑final.
The closure order was imposed in late August following the chaotic finish of the 2023–24 Scottish Cup quarter‑final at Ibrox, where Celtic emerged victorious after a penalty shoot‑out. During the celebrations, supporters threw fireworks and other projectiles, injuring police officers and leading to 43 arrests by 25 August. An independent review, released in July and headed by Mark Blackbourne, concluded that the incident “came within a very small margin of becoming a violent mass confrontation.” The report identified failures by both clubs and criticised the SFA for not adopting a stricter stance on crowd disorder.
In September, an agreement was reached to bar away fans from all Old Firm derbies in the current season’s SPFL competitions. Despite this, the SFA’s appellate tribunal upheld the stadium closures for the Scottish Cup ties, citing the need to protect public safety and maintain the integrity of the competition. The clubs will now prepare to host their next home fixtures behind closed doors, while the financial penalties loom as a further deterrent against future incidents.