Police Scotland confirms arrests have been made after awful pitch invasion in Celtic vs Rangers | OneFootball

Police Scotland have confirmed arrests have been made following the ugly pitch invasion after Celtic beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final, Sky Sports reports.

They have strongly condemned what officers described as a “despicable display” after Celtic punched their ticket to the semi-final at Ibrox Stadium.

The intense encounter finished goalless after normal time, but Celtic eventually secured a 4-2 win in the penalty shoot-out to book their spot in the last four.

Tensions boiled over immediately after the final kick of the game. Supporters from both teams rushed onto the pitch in a chaotic finale that forced police officers and stadium stewards into action.

They moved quickly to separate the groups as missiles were thrown onto the pitch and tempers flared.

Authorities said several people had armed themselves with items that could cause harm, and the conflict left many officers and members of the public injured.

Order was eventually restored, and 7,500 Celtic supporters inside the stadium were allowed to celebrate Celtic’s victory, while the situation was brought under control.

Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen slammed the behaviour from both sets of fans as “shameful”, while First Minister John Swinney described the scenes as “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Swinney also said that the police have “his full support in pursuing everyone involved in this incident”.

“The behaviour of a number of supporters at the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox today was shameful,” Stephen said.

“It must be condemned by everyone involved in football and wider society.

“A number of arrests have already been made, and Police Scotland will now work with both clubs and the Scottish Football Association to carry out a robust investigation following the scenes on the pitch at the conclusion of the match.”

Stephen went on to praise police officers and stewards who remained steadfast in the face of “extreme hostility and violence”.

“Officers and stewards were faced with extreme hostility and violence over a sustained period, with many individuals having armed themselves with items clearly intended to cause harm,” she added.

“Officers and members of the public have been injured in this despicable display, and I want to express my thanks to all officers and staff deployed.”

Police are now appealing to the public for help as they continue their investigation.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association has also condemned the events and confirmed that it will launch its own investigation into the behaviour that overshadowed one of football’s biggest derbies.