BBC: Nicola Sturgeon slams Rangers fans for controversy in Celtic clash at Ibrox
Nicola Sturgeon has condemned the actions of Rangers supporters for their bottle-throwing antics against Celtic over the weekend.
In what was a must-win Old Firm derby for Gers, they let down the capacity crowd at Ibrox, falling prey to a 2-1 defeat.
In retaliation, the fans threw bottles which hurt a member of the Celtic backroom staff while their keeper Joe Hart also had to pick up pieces of the broken bottles so as to continue the game.
Discussing this incident, Sturgeon told LBC radio, via the BBC, “Whether it happens at a football match or in the street, people throwing glass bottles is just not acceptable.
“It’s mindless, thuggish behaviour and it has no place in any civilised society.
“But these are matters for the authorities, obviously for the football authorities and potentially for the police and criminal justice authorities.”
Spot on
No matter what triggered them, the Gers fans had no right to endanger the safety of others by throwing those bottles.
The club are understood to be working with the police to find out who the perpetrators really were.
They should be banned from ever entering a football stadium again as such actions are deplorable.
Apart from this, there were no excuses to lose that match and the Gers can wave their title bid goodbye, it seems.
Unless Celtic throw away games from now until the end of the season, the title is theirs and title number 56 will have to wait.
In other Rangers news, the club may sign a Dutch international to replace Allan McGregor and the keeper’s contract also expires in the summer.