Horrific headbutt and kick-off delays – Three recent Rangers Women vs Celtic Women controversies
Rangers Women welcome Celtic Women to Ibrox on Friday in a fixture that has had its fair share of memorable moments.
The Light Blues dropped to fifth on the SWPL table after a 3-2 defeat to Hearts on 2 November.
Leanne Crichton has triumphed just once in her last three SWPL fixtures and will hope to turn her fortunes around when Rangers Women face Celtic Women live on Sky Sports.
But first, Ibrox News will take a look at some of the biggest recent controversies seen during the iconic Old Firm fixture.
Rangers vs Celtic, September 2025 – Bizarre delay
Rangers Women triumphed in a 2-0 victory over Celtic Women in the league earlier this month, but not before kick-off was delayed by five minutes.
- McAulay and Eildh Austin sealed the Old Firm victory
- The Light Blues have won three of their last five SWPL Old Firm games
Indeed, the build-up to the match was disrupted in the most bizarre way possible after the UK Government carried out a nationwide emergency test event at 3pm.
This saw an emergency alert sent to every phone in the country, which saw Rangers Women’s clash against Celtic Women commence at 3:05pm.
However, this was not the first time the historic fixture had been delayed, with former coach Jo Potter spotted seething after a pre-match huddle from Celtic delayed their Scottish Cup semi-final.
Thankfully, the Light Blues were able to shake off any mind games and emerged victorious with a 2-0 victory before being crowned Scottish Cup winners in the final against Hearts.
Rangers vs Celtic, January 2025 – Red card controversy
Potter went straight down the tunnel after she was shown a controversial red card in the second half of their 2-1 win over Celtic Women on 19 January.
Referee Abbie Hendry made her decision after Potter allegedly held up play before a Light Blues throw-in, which left the coach and her players baffled.
However, Potter’s red against Celtic Women was later rescinded, much to her and her players’ delight.
This meant that the former Gers coach was able to coach her team during their Sky Sports Cup final win without any form of suspension.
Rangers vs Celtic, March 2023 – Headbutt controversy
Ex-Scottish Football Association referee Steve Conroy called for a “lifetime ban” on Rangers Women’s coach Craig McPherson after his horrific headbutt on Celtic Women’s manager Fran Alonso.
The 1-1 draw ended dramatically when the assistant caused chaos to erupt after the full-time whistle after headbutting Alonso from behind.
Get Involved Refree via X on 28 March 2023 posted that Conroy, speaking on behalf of the podcast, had demanded McPherson was banned for life from football for his behaviour.
The SFA slapped McPherson with a six-match ban in a consequence which many deemed too light.
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