Celtic and Rangers have seen their appeals against Scottish Football Association sanctions partially upheld, with the governing body confirming that their next home Scottish Cup match will still be played behind closed doors. The suspended further stadium closure and compensatory payment have been set aside.
The sanctions followed the disorder that broke out after the Scottish Cup quarter-final between the two clubs at Ibrox in March. Fans from both ends invaded the pitch after Celtic's penalty shootout win, with police and stewards intervening to prevent the violence from escalating. Police Scotland reported 43 arrests.
Appeal Decisions Announced
The SFA's Appellate Tribunal affirmed the order that each club's next home Scottish Cup match be played behind closed doors. It also upheld the immediate compensatory payment of £100,000, payable within 30 days of the match, but varied the terms to provide that no payment is due if the visiting club is the other Glasgow side. For any other visiting club, the amount and deadline remain unchanged.
The tribunal set aside the suspended further stadium closure and the suspended further compensatory payment that had been imposed if there was any fan trouble at a cup game before the end of the season. Each club will have £500 of its £1,000 appeal deposit returned.
Terms of the Sanctions
The decision for Celtic stated: "Appeal Partially Upheld. The Appellate Tribunal affirm the order that the next home Scottish Cup match for Celtic FC be played behind closed doors, and set aside the suspended further stadium closure and the suspended further compensatory payment."
The Rangers decision read: "Appeal Partially Upheld. The Appellate Tribunal affirm the order that the next home Scottish Cup match for Rangers FC be played behind closed doors, and set aside the suspended further stadium closure and the suspended further compensatory payment." Both decisions confirmed that the qualification regarding the payment does not affect the requirement to play the match behind closed doors.
