Police have confirmed nine arrests following what they described as "unacceptable" disorder at Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final clash between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium. Authorities have launched a major investigation and expect the number of arrests to rise "significantly" as they review extensive CCTV footage and other evidence from multiple violent incidents.
Violent Scenes After Penalty Shootout Victory
The trouble erupted immediately after Celtic's dramatic penalty shootout victory over their Glasgow rivals. Dozens of celebrating Celtic fans spilled onto the pitch, prompting more than 100 Rangers supporters to charge forward in confrontation. Police and stewards formed barriers to prevent large-scale interaction, but violence broke out with missiles including a lit flare being thrown.
Officers and Public Injured in Multiple Incidents
Chief Superintendent Emma Croft reported that several officers and members of the public sustained injuries during the disorder. One officer was struck on the head by a bottle, while another female officer was kicked to the ground from behind by a Rangers fan sprinting toward the Broomloan stand, which housed 7,500 Celtic supporters.
"There's nine arrests currently that I can report on. I do expect that number to rise significantly," Croft stated. "I've mounted an inquiry team and we will go through CCTV and other opportunities to identify individuals who will be brought to justice."
The senior officer expressed particular concern about injuries to her personnel and the public, noting: "Three or four members of the public were injured in terms of assaults. My officers, the injuries that they suffered were injuries to the head, to the face, to the arm. All violence, all culpable and reckless conduct and disorder. Not acceptable."
Multiple Charges Filed Following Investigations
Police have already charged several individuals in connection with specific incidents. A 54-year-old man faces charges for assaulting a police officer, while a 47-year-old has been charged with assaulting a coach and player. Outside the stadium, three men aged 54, 23, and 20 have been arrested and charged in connection with a serious assault on Helen Street where a man was found lying injured.
Disturbing footage circulated on social media showed a fan aiming a kick at Celtic defender Julian Araujo before another individual pushed the Mexico international. Television coverage also captured a man being apprehended by police after an incident involving Celtic staff that drew responses from colleagues, including at least one player.
Child Among Victims of Missile Throwing
In one particularly concerning incident, police confirmed that a 10-year-old child was struck by a coin during the disorder. Authorities also noted that some individuals used stadium items as weapons during the pitch invasion, with Chief Superintendent Croft emphasizing this would form part of the broader inquiry.
"We are aware of a number of individuals that came on to the pitch using items within the stadium as weapons," she said. "That will play part of the broader inquiry I've kicked off, and we have significant CCTV footage which we'll be trailing through."
Police Operation Review and Political Response
While a review of the police operation has been launched, Chief Superintendent Croft maintained that sufficient officers were deployed for the fixture. She called on football clubs to address the behavior of fan groups, explaining the challenges of managing multiple threats simultaneously.
"My view was we responded as quickly and appropriately as we possibly could at the time," Croft stated. "We are dealing with threat and risk in many areas of the stadium, inside and outwith. The public see one area and that's where the cameras pan to. It's very difficult to respond on the field of play when you have a number of other people who are intent on trying to meet together to cause violence."
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney condemned the violence in strong terms, calling for a collective approach to addressing the situation. Speaking to the Press Association, Swinney said: "The violence after the Old Firm game yesterday at Ibrox was completely and utterly unacceptable – there is no justification for it whatsoever."
He continued: "There was severe danger applied to fans and to police officers and to stewards, it was completely unacceptable in every respect. What I want to make clear is the police have my full support in pursuing everyone involved in this incident."
Additional Incidents Before and After Match
Police are also investigating an incident before the game where a number of Celtic fans broke into Ibrox, causing a 24-minute delay before ticketed supporters could access turnstiles. The First Minister emphasized the need for collaboration between government, police, clubs, and the Scottish Football Association to prevent future incidents.
Swinney specifically highlighted the danger of pyrotechnics, stating they "exaggerate and escalate that level of danger" and pledging to work with authorities to ensure such items are not brought into football grounds. The widespread sharing of footage showing the female officer being kicked has drawn particular condemnation from police and officials alike.
Chief Superintendent Croft expressed distress at seeing the incident celebrated on social media, noting: "It's extremely upsetting, and I'm very grateful to say that she didn't suffer serious injury as a consequence. But hurt, and a pride thing as well I dare say. It's not great to see an officer like that, and in particular on social media to see people celebrate that. That's pretty hard. Officers go out at the start of the day to do the right thing and keep people safe."
