Celtic condemn Rangers' 'preventable provocation' in Scottish Cup review

Celtic have slammed Rangers after an independent review found the Ibrox side guilty of a basic failure of atmosphere management ahead of their Scottish Cup quarter-final clash at Celtic Park.

The 37-page report by Scottish FA investigator Mark Blackbourne highlighted that RFC music blared through the stadium from 10:30am on the day of the tie - while only Celtic supporters were inside the ground. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 3rd in Premiership, 67 pts, 21W-4D-8L from 33 games, recent form WWWWW.

What did the review uncover?

The match delegate’s post-match report, cited on Page 11, stated: “RFC music was audible throughout the stadium from 10:30am, when Celtic supporters were the only occupants - representing a preventable provocation at a high-risk fixture.”

Observation 13 on Page 154 went further, calling it “a basic failure of atmosphere management and a preventable provocation.” Recommendation 17 urged clubs to “actively manage pre-match music playlists at high-risk fixtures.”

Why it matters for Celtic

Celtic entered the stadium earlier than home fans, as is standard for Old Firm games. The review frames the incident as avoidable tension at a fixture already laden with risk. Goals this season: 59 scored, 35 conceded (+24 goal difference).

Title race: 3 points behind leaders Heart Of Midlothian. Last result: Celtic 3-1 Heart Of Midlothian (2026-05-16).

What comes next for both clubs

With Celtic sitting third in the Premiership and just three points adrift of Hearts, the focus now turns to the title race. Recent form (last 5): 5W-0D-0L (WWWWW, most recent first); on a 5-game winning run. Next fixture: vs Heart Of Midlothian (at home, 2026-10-17) (1st in the table). The club’s hierarchy has yet to comment publicly on the review’s findings.