SFA and SPFL in talks over Rangers vs Celtic as authorities seek to banish 'unacceptable' chaos forever
Chaos between fans at the end of Rangers vs Celtic has turned into a national talking point.
Scottish Government community safety minister Siobhian Brown has confirmed talks with the Scottish FA and Scottish Professional Football League over the pitch invasion that marred Rangers vs Celtic last Sunday.
Both sets of supporters ended up on the pitch as the Hoops won 4-2 on penalty kicks at Ibrox in a Scottish Cup quarter-final, as the fixture witnessed a return to away fans in full capacity, housed in the Broomloan Stand. It has received widespread condemnation and raised doubts over the future of away fans at the famous derby.
Chaotic scenes have dominated the post-match talking points and reached the halls of the Scottish Parliament this week, raised by independent MSP John Mason. He asked what talk have been held with football authorities over the scenes that broke out at the Old Firm. MSP Brown says all authorities, such as Scottish football decisions makers like the SFA and SPFL, must come together to make sure what happened at the weekend never happens again.
What have the Scottish government have said about Rangers vs Celtic chaos?
Lodging her response on Tuesday, she said: "Disorder of this nature is not acceptable and risks the safety of the players, the fans, stewards and also the police officers. I spoke to Police Scotland yesterday evening and have this morning spoken to both the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Professional Football League.
“We are of one mind that this behaviour is not acceptable and that the action must be taken to prevent recurrence. We all need to play our part here, and I am reassured that police, football authorities and football clubs want to work with us to ensure that there is no repeat of the scenes that we witnessed on Sunday.”
Greater Glasgow’s Chief Superintendent Emma Croft said this week: “Sunday, for my point of view, was actually a very frustrating day. A lot of planning went into that on the back of a double Old Firm, a week apart, and what we saw ultimately was some fans, and I hasten to say only some fans, who took it too far. As I say, we saw the incidents prior to the match and we saw some activity during the match, but for me the fundamental issue was at the end of the match in terms of behaviours coming onto the field of play and then thereafter.
Police Scotland on Old Firm pitch invasion
“It took me back several years in football and I felt we'd moved on from there, and I think if you were asking many people they would say similar. I think we use this as a reset and absolutely to understand why we're in this position in 2026, where my view should be that football should be running more regularly and with a lesser police involvement, but we obviously need to review that based on Sunday.
“I think I need to review that. My view was we responded as quickly and as appropriately as we possibly could at the time. We are dealing with threat and risk in many areas of the stadium, inside and out with. The public see one area and that's where the cameras pan to. I'm looking at a multitude of things that are ongoing at the moment, so I expect any plans that we have where officers will flex and respond to where the issues were.
“In this instance they did respond. I appreciate the public will look and say well that wasn't quick enough, but it's a club operation that we're supporting, so it was a joint response at that point. Very difficult to respond to on a field of play when you have a number of other people who are intent on trying to meet together to cause violence.”