Disciplinary Action

Celtic, Rangers and Motherwell all punished for fireworks at the Premier Sports games.

The SPFL has confirmed that Celtic, Motherwell and Rangers have been found in breach of SPFL rules following separate disciplinary hearings into the behaviour of the clubs’ supporters at this season’s Premier Sports Cup semi-finals and final.

Proceedings into large-scale, organised and illegal pyrotechnics displays at Celtic v Aberdeen and Rangers v Motherwell in November, and Celtic v Rangers in December, were undertaken by an independent Disciplinary Commission and have now concluded.

All three clubs have been found to have breached SPFL Rule H34 in failing to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that their supporters did not engage in “unacceptable conduct" at those matches. The clubs were also found to have failed to identify or take proportionate disciplinary measures against the supporters responsible for the pyrotechnic displays.

These displays led to a 14-minute delay to Celtic v Aberdeen, a five-minute delay to Motherwell v Rangers, a 3-minute delay to the Premier Sports Cup final; a health and safety risk to fellow supporters, players and those working at matches; as well as a significant inconvenience to thousands of supporters at the matches and fans watching worldwide.

Celtic:

The Commission found Celtic to have breached SPFL Rule H34 in respect of both the semi-final and final of the Premier Sports Cup.
In respect of the breach regarding the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup the following sanction was imposed:

A suspended sanction of a reduction of 800 tickets for a future Premier Sports Cup match to be played at Hampden Park in the event of another breach of SPFL Rule H34 through pyrotechnic use by supporters of the Club in any SPFL competition before 30 March 2027.

In respect of the breach at the final of the Premier Sports Cup Final the following sanction was imposed:

An immediate reduction of 500 tickets for the next Premier Sports Cup match to be played at Hampden Park.

Motherwell:

The Commission found Motherwell to have breached SPFL Rule H34 in respect of the Premier Sports Cup semi-final and imposed the following sanction:

A suspended sanction of a reduction of 800 tickets for a future Premier Sports Cup match to be played at Hampden Park in the event of another breach of SPFL Rule H34 through pyrotechnic use by supporters of the Club in any SPFL competition before 30 March 2027.

Rangers:

The Commission found Rangers to have breached SPFL Rule H34 in respect of both the semi-final and final of the Premier Sports Cup:

In respect of the breach regarding the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup the following sanction was imposed:

A suspended sanction of a reduction of 800 tickets for a future Premier Sports Cup match to be played at Hampden Park in the event of another breach of SPFL Rule H34 through pyrotechnic use by supporters of the Club in any SPFL competition before 30 March 2027.

In respect of the breach at the final of the Premier Sports Cup Final the following sanction was imposed:

An immediate reduction of 500 tickets for the next Premier Sports Cup match to be played at Hampden Park.

SPFL Rule H34 states that Each Club must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that:
H34.1 its Players, officials, supporters and any person exercising a function for or connected with the Club do not engage in Unacceptable Conduct at a Stadium on the occasion of an Official Match;
H34.2 it identifies any of its supporters who engage in Unacceptable Conduct at an Official Match; and
H34.3 it takes proportionate disciplinary measures in respect of supporters so identified in terms of Rule H34.2.