Glasgow police condemn 'shameful' Ibrox unrest after Celtic staff and players targeted

A number of arrests have been made after fans clashed following the Hoops' Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Rangers

FLASHPOINT: Police officer and stewards force fans back after they invaded the pitch following a penalty shoot out after the Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup quarter-final match at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow. Pic: Steve Welsh/PA Wire

Police stated they faced "extreme hostility and violence" during a post-match pitch invasion at Ibrox which impacted Celtic staff and players.

A number of arrests have been made after fans clashed following the Hoops' Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final win.

Hundreds of Rangers fans, many of them coming from the section housing the Union Bears ultras, charged towards the Broomloan Stand after some of the 7,500 visiting supporters ran on to the pitch to celebrate.

A flare was launched towards the Broomloan Stand and it continued to be thrown around as police and stewards formed a barrier between both sets of fans.

Police officers apprehended a fan after Celtic players, including Tomas Cvancara, ran to the scene amid an incident involving a member of their backroom staff.

Cvancara, who scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out, was later interviewed on Premier Sports with blood stains on his strip.

Footage also showed Celtic right-back Julian Araujo being pushed by a Rangers supporter before he was able to run towards the tunnel.

Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen described the scenes as "shameful".

She added: "A number of arrests have already been made, and Police Scotland will now work with both clubs and the Scottish Football Association to carry out a robust investigation following the scenes on the pitch at the conclusion of the match.

"Officers and stewards were faced with extreme hostility and violence over a sustained period, with many individuals having armed themselves with items clearly intended to cause harm."

"Officers and members of the public have been injured in this despicable display and I want to express my thanks to all officers and staff deployed."

She added that the investigation would include the actions of fans who got into the Broomloan end without tickets before the game.

Asked about the altercation between a spectator and one of his staff, Celtic manager Martin O'Neill said: "As we were making our way back, I think there was some sort of fracas; somebody tried to get on the field. I don't know, all I saw was there was a bit of a scrum down at the bottom.

"And as you say, maybe it does taint proceedings, but I think there's an element of self-protection in that one. So if that's the case, please, I'm making judgments here on things that I only half saw."

O'Neill added: "The security men, in fairness to them, were wanting to get people off. But there is a natural euphoria about winning a game and about fans joining in. If this has gone too far, that would be disappointing."

Asked if he had spoken to the players about the incidents, O'Neill said: "I just said well done to the team and I went into my own little room to cool down myself. My heart's beating at a rate that a 74-year-old's shouldn't be doing."

The SFA condemned the "behaviour from supporters entering the field of play" and added: "An investigation will be carried out immediately in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol."

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl said of the trouble: "I was not on the pitch in this moment. I didn't see it until now.

"Nobody likes to see this. It was a great atmosphere in 120 minutes. All the other things should not be in the stadium or around football."

O'Neill hailed his understrength side's defensive display after they progressed despite failing to register a shot on goal. Rangers managed 24 shots but Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo had few saves to make, although several last-ditch blocks from the likes of Auston Trusty and Sebastian Tounekti kept the score level.

Celtic progressed despite missing both Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney through injuries which flared up in the midweek win over Aberdeen.

"It was a great, great win for us," O'Neill said. "We were under pressure during the course of the game. As you would expect, Rangers are very strong. They've had the full week to go at it.

"We've had to travel to Aberdeen, it was our fourth away game in 10 days. It was a fantastic effort by the players. Really, really fantastic.

"The number of blocks that we got in, the number of last-ditch challenges that we made in the game, just to stay in the tie, it was really amazing."

O'Neill felt it was a big achievement to win after losing two key players. McGregor missed a spell of action with a heel injury two years ago and could need to be managed again.

"Callum was feeling it in Aberdeen," he said. "The medical team were saying it's something that was here last year, maybe come back, and maybe missed a few games. So the best thing to do was just to take him out of it.

"Kieran Tierney was just not right to start. He might have been able to have come on but he might have been forced to go on after five minutes in the match and then he wouldn't have lasted.

"So for us to miss two big players like that there and still come through, it was brilliant."

O'Neill also praised Sinisalo, saying: "I just asked him, could he command the six-yard box? And he did that wonderfully well."

PA