The fallout from Sunday’s chaotic Old Firm Scottish Cup quarter-final has reached a boiling point today. In a blistering joint statement, the Rangers Fan Advisory Board and the Rangers Supporters’ Association have condemned the “ugly and sickening” scenes that blighted the fixture, calling for senior Ibrox officials to break their silence and defend the club’s supporters and its infrastructure.
While the match itself provided plenty of drama—with Celtic eventually standing tall to win 4-2 on penalties—the action on the pitch has become a mere footnote to the violence and vandalism that engulfed the stadium. For the first time since 2018, over 7,500 Celtic supporters occupied the entirety of the Broomloan Stand, a move mandated by SFA rules regarding away allocations for cup ties. However, the return of a large away crowd was marred by what many are calling a total breakdown in stadium security and public order.
A Day of Systemic Failure
The joint statement from the prominent supporters’ groups pulls no punches, directing its fury toward Police Scotland and the “wholly inadequate” matchday planning. From the early hours of Sunday morning, tension was high. Footage circulated on social media showing groups of fans breaching stadium gates, while later images captured the moment a female police officer and a young steward were assaulted during a massive pitch invasion at full-time.
“The handling of Sunday’s Old Firm game by Police Scotland was inadequate and created unnecessary risks for our fans that should have been avoided,” the statement read. The groups highlighted a “chronic lack of segregation” on Helen Street, an area where Rangers fans were asked to park, which reportedly allowed opposition supporters to gather and move freely among the home support, heightening the risk of confrontation.
The supporters also took aim at the police leadership, specifically Greater Glasgow Chief Superintendent Emma Croft. After Croft expressed satisfaction with the police operation, the fan groups accused her of “marking her own homework,” arguing that the injuries sustained by officers and the general atmosphere of lawlessness suggested a far less successful outcome.
Desecration of the Ibrox Disaster Memory
Perhaps the most disturbing element of the report involves the physical state of the Broomloan Stand following the departure of the visiting fans. Images have surfaced showing a trail of destruction: rows of seats uprooted and thrown, advertising boards smashed to pieces, and toilets heavily vandalised.
More harrowing, however, was the nature of the graffiti left behind. The supporters’ groups expressed their horror at the “abhorrent mockery” of the Ibrox Disaster. The tragedy, which claimed the lives of 66 fans in 1971, remains the darkest day in the club’s history. To see its memory desecrated with vile slogans is a move the statement describes as a “disgrace” to Scotland’s civic society.
“The memory of our 66 was desecrated by vile graffiti, the perpetrators emboldened to vandalise our stadium and its infrastructure with impunity,” the statement continued, drawing a sharp comparison to English football by stating that such behaviour would “not happen in Liverpool or Manchester” without severe and immediate repercussions.
The Demand for Ibrox Leadership
With the SFA and the Judicial Panel expected to take up to two weeks to review the evidence, the Rangers Fan Advisory Board and Supporters’ Association are demanding immediate internal action. They are calling on the Rangers board to move beyond private discussions and take a “robust, decisive, and public stand” in defence of the club’s dignity.
The statement is a clear ultimatum: the Rangers’ support will no longer tolerate repeated failures that compromise their safety. There is a growing sense among the fanbase that the duty of care owed to them by both the police and the club was breached on Sunday.
The Death of the Away Allocation?
The events of Sunday have almost certainly killed any lingering hopes that the Old Firm derby could return to the days of large away allocations in the Scottish Premiership. While the SFA’s 20% rule forced the hand of clubs for this cup tie, the resulting “guerrilla war”—as described by some international media outlets—has provided a grim justification for those who wish to see away fans banned entirely from this fixture.
From the assault on Celtic defender Araujo to the missiles thrown into the away end that left two fans seriously injured, the day was a catalogue of failures. For the Rangers fan groups, the path forward is clear: the club must prioritise the protection of its stadium and its people over any future attempts at “normalised” ticketing arrangements that the current security climate clearly cannot support.
Co-Founder of Fitba Focus and MMA UK. A lifelong Rangers fan and former player, he combines over a decade of sports media experience with a deep-seated passion for the Scottish game. From the Ibrox stands to the lower-league terraces, Frankie is dedicated to providing honest, fan-led analysis of the full Scottish pyramid.
