Graeme Souness, a celebrated figure in Rangers history, has criticized both Rangers and Celtic for their lack of response following the tumultuous events at Ibrox on Sunday.
In the aftermath of Celtic’s dramatic win in a penalty shootout, chaos erupted as fans from both sides clashed on the field, leading to nine arrests.
The violent incidents resulted in injuries to police officers, event stewards, and fans, including a young child. Additionally, a man was apprehended for allegedly assaulting a Celtic player and coach.
Souness, speaking on talkSPORT, emphasized the need for both clubs to take a more active role in addressing the situation.
He remarked, “Rangers and Celtic should be taking the lead in addressing this issue. Staying silent won’t benefit them. They need to make a statement swiftly.”
Graeme Souness was at Ibrox on Sunday, and reckons the awful scenes mean bigger allocations for away fans will never return in the Old Firm fixture
Souness acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating, “No matter what they say, it’s a difficult situation. An extensive investigation is inevitable, and the outcome will be clear-cut.”
The Scottish Cup quarter-final between the bitter rivals saw a return to the old format of the away team being afforded a full allocation of 7,500 fans.
But Souness believes Sunday’s violence means there is no chance of that arrangement continuing in future.
Hitting out at the yobs on both sides, who spoiled what he believes to be ‘biggest derby in world football, he said: ‘I don’t think the away end will be full again, ever. It’s a small element of supporters that react to defeat in a negative way.
‘As much as they try to control it, alcohol does play a part in it unfortunately. I was on my way to the stadium and, on both sides, people are topping themselves up, and that would be before lunch.
‘I have to say, what a difference having the Celtic supporters there, the whole Broomloan (Stand) was full. It just added to the atmosphere. It is, in my opinion, the biggest derby in the world.
‘Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll see that again. What happened on Sunday will mean we won’t see away supporters in the stadium again, not in those numbers anyway.
‘It takes so much away from the game. Although it wasn’t a great game, both of them generated an unbelievable atmosphere.
‘No matter what you think about Scottish football, Rangers and Celtic are monsters. They are not football clubs, they are institutions.
Scottish football was shamed by the scenes witnessed at Ibrox last Sunday
‘What makes them institutions is the passion their supporters have. And, as always, a small minority spoil it for everyone.
‘I got my phone out before the game and filmed the scenes. It is the biggest, most passionate football match you will ever go to. But I think it will be a long time before we see that number of away supporters again.’
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill also believes the bigger allocation, something which he had called for previously, will be lost forever after Sunday’s appalling scenes.
He felt the general atmosphere before the pitch invasion was up there with the best he had encountered throughout his spells in charge.
Celtic fans were given the full Broomloan Stand because of Scottish Cup rules, but the police officer in charge of the investigation into Sunday’s events has subsequently branded that arrangement unsafe.
Referring to Sunday’s match and the previous weekend’s Premiership encounter between the clubs at Ibrox, O’Neill told talkSPORT: ‘I thought the Old Firm game, still a fantastic fixture, had lost some of its lustre. And I thought the noise emanating from Ibrox, both last Sunday and the Sunday before that, even though we had only 2,500 people then, was something I have not heard for a long, long time.
‘Maybe Celtic playing Liverpool way back in 2003, have I heard a noise emanating from a stadium like that.
‘So there’s something really magical about it and I’m really, obviously, quite saddened by the events. Saddened seems almost like you’re minimising or downplaying things.
But overall it’s a shame because I think the things that I was hoping would happen, and happened for a long time, may now not happen anymore.’
Police had to draw their batons as the trouble threatened to get out of control after cup tie
The Rangers Fan Advisory Board and Supporters Association, and the Celtic Fans Collective have condemned the policing on Sunday, claiming there were not enough officers or stewards to prevent a pitch invasion.
But the weekend’s events, which included Celtic fans forcing their way into Ibrox without tickets, as well as daubing graffiti inside the stadium about the 1971 Ibrox disaster, will only lessen the chances of sizeable away followings in the Old Firm fixture in future.
Siobhian Brown, the MSP and community safety minister, said: ‘I condemn the appalling behaviour of those fans who invaded the pitch and acted in a violent and a disorderly manner, ruining what had otherwise been an exciting football experience for fans.
‘Disorder of this nature is not acceptable and risks the safety of the players, the fans, stewards and also the police officers.
‘I spoke to Police Scotland yesterday evening and have this morning spoken to both the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Professional Football League.
‘We are of one mind that this behaviour is not acceptable and that action must be taken to prevent recurrence.
‘We all need to play our part here, and I am reassured that police, football authorities and football clubs want to work with us to ensure there is no repeat of the scenes that we witnessed on Sunday.’
First Minister John Swinney said earlier this week: ‘The violence after the Old Firm game on Sunday at Ibrox was completely and utterly unacceptable – there is no justification for it whatsoever. There was severe danger applied to fans and to police officers and to stewards, it was completely unacceptable in every respect.’
