Celtic, Rangers lose appeal against stadium closure sanction after fan trouble

Celtic and Rangers' appeals against stadium closure sanctions for Scottish Cup ties have been rejected; both clubs must play next home fixtures behind closed doors.

Celtic and Rangers have lost their appeals against Scottish FA sanctions imposed following fan trouble at their Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox in March. Both clubs must play their next home Scottish Cup fixtures behind closed doors and pay £100,000 fines to their opponents.

The original sanction came after supporters from both sides clashed on the pitch during the goalless draw, which Celtic won 4-2 on penalties. Police arrested 43 people after fans invaded the playing surface, with missiles and pyrotechnics thrown. An independent review found that "crushing" and "life-threatening violence" was narrowly avoided, criticising both the Celtic Ultras' initial pitch invasion and the Rangers supporters' confrontational response.

The appeals panel has lifted the threat of a second behind-closed-doors match that would have been triggered by further trouble before the end of next season. The incident has already led to restrictions on away fan allocations at Old Firm matches this season in the Scottish Premiership and League Cup.