Celtic, Rangers Ordered to Play Scottish Cup Matches Behind Closed Doors

Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers have both been ordered to play their next home Scottish Cup matches behind closed doors following severe crowd disorder during last season's quarter-final clash at Ibrox.

An independent judicial panel appointed by the Scottish Football Association ruled that both clubs must also pay £100,000 to their drawn opponents for those fixtures. Additionally, the panel imposed a suspended penalty of a second home match without fans should supporters of either team engage in further unacceptable conduct in any future Scottish Cup tie.

The sanctions are expected to be enforced when both Scottish Premiership clubs enter this season's competition in January. The disciplinary measures follow chaotic scenes in March when Celtic secured a semi-final spot by defeating Rangers in a penalty shootout. Immediately following the match, fans from both sides spilled onto the pitch, threw fireworks and other missiles, and clashed with law enforcement, resulting in several injured police officers and multiple arrests.

Both clubs faced charges under the governing body's disciplinary rule 37, which addresses unacceptable conduct at football matches. A recent independent review of the incident, led by Mark Blackbourne, concluded that the disorder came within a very small margin of becoming a violent mass confrontation. The report cited operational and safety failures by both clubs and faulted the Scottish FA for historically taking too lenient an approach to crowd misbehavior. While previous infractions typically resulted in financial penalties or reduced ticket allocations, the severity of the latest ruling signals a major shift toward stricter enforcement by Scottish football authorities.

Celtic expressed shock at the ruling, describing the punishment as disproportionate for what it characterized as a relatively small pitch incursion driven by emotion. In a public statement, Celtic noted that while the club does not defend supporters entering the field of play and routinely takes action against offenders, the panel should have accounted for the emotional context of the victory. Celtic also emphasized that as the visiting team, it was not responsible for the stadium safety arrangements at Ibrox, adding that it will review the panel's detailed report before deciding its next steps.

Rangers acknowledged the tribunal's published decision, stating the club will consider the outcome in full, along with its operational and financial implications, before determining any further course of action.

In a separate development, Rangers confirmed they will provide Celtic with an allocation of 300 tickets for next month's Scottish League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox. By comparison, Celtic received an allocation of 8,000 tickets for the March Scottish Cup fixture that prompted the SFA investigation.