Two men have been banned from every football ground in the UK for five years after disorder at an Old Firm Scottish Cup quarter-final in March. Prosecutors said the scenes caused fear and distress for fans and members of the public, and singled out two moments inside the chaos.
The pitch invasion and bottle incident
Mackenzie Graham, 21, from Glasgow, jumped over a fence and led a group invading the pitch. John Smith, 19, from Peterhead, threw a bottle into Celtic supporters in the stand and was apprehended by police officers.
Fraser Gibson, the procurator fiscal for Glasgow and Strathkelvin, said: "The behaviour of these two men contributed to mayhem at a major sporting event."
He added: "It caused fear and distress amongst football fans and members of the public."
The punishment handed down
The ban is a Football Banning Order, and it keeps both men away from every football ground in the UK for five years. Gibson also said: "Peaceful supporters, children and disabled people were caught up in the chaos and had to be shepherded to safety."
The order is the clearest part of the story. Graham was also sentenced to a two-year Community Payback Order and an Electronic Monitoring Order, while Smith received a 12-month Community Payback Order and a four-month Restriction of Liberty Order.
Rangers have taken one win from their last five matches, while Celtic are unbeaten in their last five. The disciplinary outcome will sit beside the football result for a while, but the court response is now fixed: five years out of every football ground in the UK for both men.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
