Fresh calls made for Rangers vs Celtic away fan ban as 'horrific' factor brings out the worst in key area
The former Hoops and Scotland boss was shocked at the scenes and reckons it’s not worth the trouble having both sets of fans in the same stadium
Ex-Celtic manager Gordon Strachan insists it’s not worth the trouble of having both sets of fans in the same stadium during Old Firm matches - explaining why he preferred when only a home crowd were allowed to attend the fixture.
While acknowledging that it makes for a better atmosphere, Strachan reckons drastic action needs to be taken after Sunday’s shameful scenes at Ibrox.
The Scottish Cup quarter-final clash went all the way to penalties after 120 minutes finished goalless with both sides having goals disallowed during the contest. James Tavernier and Djiedi Gassama missed their spot-kicks in the shoot-out before Tomas Cvancara converted his effort from 12 yards to spark bedlam among the 7,500 travelling supporters in the Brooloan Road Stand.
However, chaos ensued and police were forced to intervene as both sets of fans came to blows, with players having to be escorted off the pitch by stewards.
Premier Sports commentator Rory Hamilton claimed live on air that a member of Celtic’s coaching staff had been attacked. He said: “One of the Celtic coaching staff has been attacked by an individual. It is an ugly, ugly end to what has been a superb game of football. There is absolutely no need. This is lunacy.”
Old Firm away fan lockout deemed safest solution moving forward
Strachan, 69, believes having both Celtic and Rangers fans inside the ground now comes with too much of a risk and suggests that returning to the away fan ban for fixtures between the two rival clubs could be the safest solution moving forward.
The former Scotland boss told World Cup betting: “It’s great to see two different sets of colours in the ground during an Old Firm game – but is it really worth it? Is it worth it for the scenes we see during and after the game? You’re never going to change the animosity of the fans for each other – there’s a real nastiness about it all.
“I was personally happy when there was just one set of supporters in the stadium during the Old Firm. I know I’m in the minority – and people will argue that the atmosphere is not the same – but is it worth it giving what we saw yesterday? You’re putting police and staff at risk and you’ve got fans running onto the pitch to attack people working there.
“Is it worth having both sets of fans at the Old Firm? I don’t think it is. The world has become a nastier place in the past 30 years. Social media has made everything worse – some of the comments you see really are horrific and it builds up with both sides.
‘Next steps’ to ramp up football banning orders being considered
“When people who are saying these things to each other on social media eventually meet, this is what happens. I’m afraid the worst of us comes out at a football match, and it’s just not worth it.”
Scotland’s victims and community safety minister Siobhan Brown said the scenes were “unacceptable”, adding: “Of particular concern is the reckless use of pyrotechnics which could have caused serious injury.”
She highlighted that the Scottish government had recently consulted on extending powers to ban fans from attending games and was “considering next steps.”