Four people were arrested during the Old Firm clash between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday, including one man accused of assaulting a police officer. Another man was arrested over alleged sectarian abuse, while a third was detained for alleged threatening and abusive behaviour and resisting arrest. A fourth person was arrested for an alleged breach of the peace.
Police warning and youth reported
Police also issued a warning in relation to a drugs offence, while a youth was reported in connection with an alleged Section 38 offence. The arrests came as Rangers secured their place in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Celtic in a pulsating quarter-final clash at Ibrox.
Policing plan praised
Despite the incidents, police said the fixture passed without a "major incident". Chief Superintendent Stevie Dolan said a "proportionate policing plan" had been put in place for the match on Sunday, September 13.
He said: "We worked closely with a range of partners, including both clubs, to maintain public safety and minimise any disruption. The match passed without major incident and I would like to thank the majority of fans for their conduct throughout the day."
"A small number of offences were detected during the course of the event. These included one instance of police assault and a separate incident involving sectarian abuse. Behaviour such as this is never acceptable and will not be tolerated. In both cases people have been arrested and will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal."
Match details
Police Scotland said the policing operation had been designed to maintain public safety and minimise disruption around the fixture. Rangers won the match 3-0 thanks to two goals from Dan Neil and one from Kevin Kelsy. There were no Celtic supporters in attendance after away fans were completely banned from all domestic matches between the two Glasgow giants for the remainder of the season. The decision was made following crowd disorder, pitch invasions, and fan clashes during the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox in March.
