Rangers and Celtic Lose Appeals, Next Scottish Cup Home Games Behind Closed Doors
Rangers and Celtic will play their next Scottish Cup home matches with no fans in the stands. The Scottish FA's appeal tribunal, an independent panel that hears disciplinary cases, has dismissed both clubs' appeals against the penalty.
The two Glasgow clubs argued their cases to the tribunal on Monday, and the result was published on Thursday, 29 October. Playing "behind closed doors" means the match goes ahead without spectators. BBC Sport reported the outcome.
The penalty has its roots in the end of last season's Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox. Celtic won that tie on a penalty shoot-out, but disorder broke out at the final whistle. Police made 43 arrests in connection with the trouble by 25 August. The Scottish FA announced the stadium closure penalty later that month.
Rangers and Celtic will also each have to pay £100,000 to the visiting club in their respective home ties. That is a sum the clubs must pay regardless of whether the crowd is present. The payment forms part of the sanction the tribunal left in place.
The tribunal did make one change. It set aside a suspended ban on fans for any further infractions, so that separate penalty will not apply. The original sanction had included a suspended second closed-door match, to be triggered by trouble at a Scottish Cup fixture before the end of next season. Sky Sports covered the clubs' appeals when they were first lodged in September.
Away fans have also been kept apart this season. In September, the two clubs agreed there would be no away supporters at Old Firm derbies in this season's SPFL competitions. The Old Firm is the nickname for games between Rangers and Celtic, two of the biggest clubs in Scotland, and those matches have a long record of tension in the stands.
For the clubs, the immediate effect is simple. Their next Scottish Cup home games will be played in empty stadiums, and the fans who would normally fill those grounds will watch from home or from the pub. For supporters, a cup tie at a famous ground is often the day the whole city turns out. Losing that atmosphere, even for a single match, is a real cost.
For the wider game, the case is a reminder that a result on the pitch can be overshadowed by what happens after the final whistle. Clubs can be punished for their own fans' behaviour, and the rules apply the same way to both sides of the Old Firm. The Scottish FA has made clear that the penalty stands, and the next cup draws will show how it plays out in practice.
