Celtic and Rangers are awaiting the outcome of their appeals after challenging Scottish FA sanctions that would mandate both teams to stage their upcoming home Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors. The two Glasgow sides set out their respective arguments before an appellate tribunal on Monday, with the panel now undertaking deliberations prior to confirming whether the proposed punishments will be enforced.
The stadium closure orders were originally announced in late August following scenes of disorder at Ibrox at the conclusion of last season's quarter-final encounter, which Celtic won on penalties. In addition to facing empty stands for a cup tie, the clubs are disputing £100,000 fines. Both institutions have also been cautioned that an additional home fixture could be ordered to take place without supporters should there be any further instances of unacceptable conduct.
The disciplinary measures were triggered when rival supporters clashed on the Ibrox pitch in March, hurling fireworks and other missiles in incidents that left police officers injured and led to 43 arrests being recorded by 25 August. An independent review headed by Mark Blackbourne, which was published in July, concluded that the disturbance "came within a very small margin of becoming a violent mass confrontation." That report highlighted failings attributable to both clubs and criticised the SFA for not enforcing a tougher stance against crowd disorder.
As the Scottish FA appellate body deliberates on whether to uphold the sanctions, measures have already been introduced to restrict crowd attendance in the fixture. In September, an agreement was reached ensuring that no away supporters will be admitted to any Old Firm derbies staged within SPFL competitions throughout the current campaign.