Old Firm: Man charged in connection with glass bottle incidents at Ibrox | Football News

A 32-year old man has been charged in connection with a bottle being thrown at Ibrox as Rangers vow to ban any supporters involved in the incidents during Sunday’s Old Firm defeat.

The second half of the match was delayed by five minutes after shards of glass were spotted by Celtic ‘keeper Joe Hart across his penalty area after a bottle was thrown from the Copland Road Stand.

After the game, Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou revealed a member of his backroom staff was also hit with a bottle thrown by a member of the Ibrox crowd, with the individual needing stitches.

Following the two incidents, a Rangers spokesperson told Sky Sports News: “We are assisting Police Scotland regarding both incidents and can confirm that stadium CCTV is being reviewed.

“We strongly condemn both incidents and the perpetrators will be banned.”

A 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an incident and is due to appear in court on Monday 11 April.

Bottle incident is ‘outrageous’ and ‘shameful’

Police Scotland say they are currently continuing enquiries to establish the full circumstances regarding the incident in Hart’s penalty area.

Former Celtic striker Andy Walker, who was commentating on the match on Sky Sports, said: “That is absolutely outrageous, to see broken bottles on the field of play which can affect the referee, the players, anyone that it’s aimed at. It’s outrageous.

“It’s one thing to demonstrate, as we saw a couple of weeks ago, to protest using tennis balls, toilet paper – and we’d even get issues with that. But broken bottles? It beggars belief.

“You’re trying to sell this game everywhere, our showpiece occasion? [These are] shameful scenes, shameful that anyone would choose to throw anything onto the pitch, never mind a broken bottle.”

Rangers icon Ally McCoist added: “That [embarrassing] is exactly what it is. You keep thinking nothing will ever surprise you anymore but dear me. Honestly? Absolute gross stupidity.”

Around 10 minutes later, objects were thrown at Celtic attacker Jota when he was about to take a corner.

‘You don’t need a couple of idiots spoiling it’

Postecoglou confirmed the incident that saw one of his staff hit with a bottle, that left him requiring stitches, took place at the end of the first half as both teams made their way up the tunnel at Ibrox.

“I think he is okay, he had a couple of stitches,” said Postecoglou. “It is disappointing because this is a game that gets beamed around the world and it stands on its own.

“You had two teams going at it in first and second spot and you don’t need a couple of idiots spoiling it.

“It is disappointing, you don’t need it. I don’t know what people are trying to achieve by doing that. I thought it was a fantastic spectacle.

“Sitting here now as the winning coach, that kind of taints my view of it, but I thought anybody watching that would agree it was a good game of football and you could tell there was something meaningful at the end of it by the way both sets of players went at it.

“Like I said their crowd was up for it, our 700 was up for it and couldn’t stop signing. That is what you want.”

A Celtic statement read: “We can confirm that a member of our backroom staff was struck by a glass bottle. He required urgent medical treatment and stitches to a head wound. The matter is now in the hands of Police Scotland.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson told Sky Sports News: “We are aware of a glass bottle being thrown at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow during the Rangers v Celtic match on Sunday, April 3, 2022.

“One man has sustained injuries as a result of this and required treatment.

“Enquiries are currently ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”

Sturgeon hits out at ‘unacceptable’ scenes

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has condemned the Rangers supporters who marred Sunday’s mtach with their “mindless, thuggish behaviour”.

“This sort of behaviour is not acceptable,” the First Minister told LBC on Monday.

“Whether it happens at a football match or in the street, people throwing glass bottles is just not acceptable.

“It’s mindless, thuggish behaviour and it has no place in any civilised society.

“But these are matters for the authorities, obviously for the football authorities and potentially for the police and criminal justice authorities.

“Regardless of what team you support, I’m not the world’s biggest football fan and not just because my team is Ayr United, but people should be able to enjoy football.

“Football should be something that people can take their kids to and have a happy, joyful occasion.

“Behaviour like that whether it’s at an Old Firm match or any other football match besmirches that, and it should absolutely be seen as unacceptable.”

Three arrested after Ibrox vandalism

Three people were arrested after turnstiles at Ibrox, which were supposed to be used by Rangers fans on Sunday, were vandalised with expanding foam ahead of the game.

The foam was sprayed around the entrances to the turnstiles at the Broomloan end, which used to traditionally be the away end for Celtic fans in this fixture.

Only 708 tickets were allocated to Celtic supporters for the fixture, which is a stark contrast to the 7,000 tickets that used to be given to every visiting team at Old Firm fixtures before 2018. Sunday’s fixture was the first Glasgow derby to have away supporters in the ground since before the pandemic.

A police statement read: “Police responded around 2.45am on Sunday, April 3, 2022 following vandalism at Ibrox Stadium, Govan.

“Officers attended and three men aged 18, 22 and 25 have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. Enquiries remain ongoing.”