Nine fans arrested after on-pitch brawl in clash between Rangers and Celtic

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celtic/QFKRRD8M/"]Celtic[/a] supporters celebrated their [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/celtic-QFKRRD8M/rangers-8vAWQXNS/?mid=EDbAVivR"]penalty shoot-out victory in the quarter-final at Ibrox[/a] by pouring onto the pitch, sparking a retaliatory invasion from hundreds of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rangers/8vAWQXNS/"]Rangers[/a] fans.[/p][p]Police and stewards eventually formed a barrier between the rival fans after missiles, including a lit flare, were thrown.[/p][p]Police said a 10-year-old child was hit by a coin and one officer was struck on the head by a bottle.[/p][p]Footage showed a female officer being kicked to the ground from behind by a Rangers fan who was sprinting towards the Broomloan stand, which held 7,500 Celtic supporters.[/p][p]A 47-year-old man was apprehended by police after an incident involving a member of the Celtic coaching staff.[/p][p]Mobile phone footage also showed a fan aiming a kick at Celtic defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/araujo-julian/OM8gj5S9/"]Julian Araujo[/a], before another ran up and pushed the Mexico international.[/p][p]Police had to deal with incidents outside the stadium, with several officers, stewards and members of the public injured in the chaotic scenes.[/p][p]Nine arrests have been made inside 24 hours, with "significantly" more expected, prompting calls to reduce the away allocations when the Glasgow rivals meet.[/p][embed guid="218e2e52-10a2-4d86-8c7c-bfb042f058f2" url="https://x.com/i/status/2030674595267727740" social-type="twitter" /][p]Celtic were allowed 7,500 fans inside Ibrox for the first time since 2018.[/p][p]Recent away allocations have veered from about 750 to a complete absence to around 2,500, but Scottish Cup rules state away clubs can claim up to 20 per cent of tickets and a deal was reached following input from the Scottish Football Association.[/p][p]However, Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Emma Croft believes the allocation had an impact on the trouble.[/p][p][b]"There's the ongoing rivalry and pent-up aggression between the two sides, absolutely," [/b]she said.[/p][p][b]"And for me, also, such a large away fan base within Ibrox, which was news to many people and a new experience for many people, given the time, I think played its part, absolutely.[/b][/p][p][b]"I don't think it's right that I say that it's a complete ban, but what I would say is that the set-up is not sustainable and not safe."[/b][/p][p]A number of Celtic fans without tickets broke into the stadium and graffiti in the Broomloan Stand included references to the 1971 Ibrox disaster, when 66 Rangers fans died in a crush as they left an Old Firm game.[/p][p]A review of the police operation has been launched but Croft feels enough officers were deployed and that they reacted "as quickly and appropriately as we possibly could".[/p][p][b]"We are dealing with threat and risk in many areas of the stadium, inside and outwith. The public see one area and that's where the cameras pan to,"[/b] she said.[/p][p][b]"It's very difficult to respond on the field of play when you have a number of other people who are intent on trying to meet together to cause violence."[/b][/p]