Celtic and Rangers appeal orders for empty-stadium Scottish Cup ties

Celtic and Rangers have appealed against orders to play their next home Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors, in empty stadiums with no supporters present.

The Scottish FA has set appeal hearings for both clubs for Monday, 26 October, according to BBC. Both clubs had already admitted the charges brought after last season's stormy cup tie. The appeals put the punishments on hold until those hearings are heard.

The case goes back to March and a Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, home of Rangers. Fans clashed on the pitch after the final whistle of a tie that Celtic eventually won on penalties to go through. A penalty shoot-out is football's tie-breaker, with players taking turns to shoot from 12 yards.

Police Scotland made 43 arrests on the night, after disorder in which officers and stewards were injured, the BBC reported. Each club was later fined £100,000. The fines and the closed-doors orders were handed down by Scottish FA tribunals.

An independent review commissioned by the Scottish FA said the night could have turned more serious. It found a crushing incident was a real and foreseeable risk when fans linked to Ultra groups surged past police and stewards. Ultra groups are organised supporter factions known for banners, chanting and choreographed support.

The Scottish FA's disciplinary record notes the sanction ordering Celtic's next home Scottish Cup match to be played behind closed doors, as listed by the Scottish FA. The federation's rulebook lists playing matches without fans as one of the punishments available in the Scottish Cup, the country's main knockout cup competition.

Both clubs were also warned they could face a second home game without supporters if there is further unacceptable conduct. That suspended part of the sentence hangs over them as the new season moves on.

There is already separate action around the fixture itself. The clubs and authorities have agreed there will be no away fans at any of the Old Firm derbies in this season's SPFL competitions. The Old Firm derby is the name given to Celtic against Rangers, Glasgow's two biggest clubs and one of football's most intense rivalries. The SPFL, the Scottish Professional Football League, runs the league season.

What makes this stand out is the silence the punishment imagines. These are ties that are usually loud and full. For fans, this means a home cup draw may yet mean watching on television. The hearings in October will settle it.