Celtic and Rangers Appeal Scottish FA Cup Sanctions

Overview

• The two clubs have formally lodged appeals against the Scottish FA decision to make each play their next home Scottish Cup tie behind closed doors, a development reported on Sept. 25 that will be heard by an appellate tribunal on 26 October.
• The sanction also requires each club to pay the visiting side £100,000 for the affected match and carries a suspended second closure that would be triggered by further trouble through the 2027/28 season.
• The punishments follow a volatile quarter‑final at Ibrox on March 8 that saw hundreds of fans run onto the pitch, pyrotechnics and missiles launched, officers injured and 43 arrests.
• The independent Blackbourne review found failings in match planning, stewarding and policing, described some officers as 'petrified' of policing another Ibrox match and linked organised behaviour to certain Ultra groups.
• The appeals center on proportionality and responsibility, with Celtic arguing it should not bear equal blame as the away team, while interim measures including an SPFL ban on away supporters at Old Firm league and cup matches remain in place.