CreditL Imago

James Barker

Fri 13 March 2026 8:40, UK

Rangers icon Barry Ferguson has been saddened by the scenes he saw in Rangers’ Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic last Sunday.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Rangers on 8 March, as Danny Rohl’s side were beaten on penalties by their bitter Glaswegian rivals Celtic in the Scottish Cup.

Gers had thrown wave after wave of attack on the Hoops’ goal to no avail, whilst Martin O’Neill’s side barely laid a glove on Rangers until it came to the penalty shoot-out.

With Rangers dumped out of the Scottish Cup, Ibrox descended into chaos after the full-time whistle, with fans from both sides clashing on the pitch in some of the ugliest Old Firm derby scenes in a long time.

What did Barry Ferguson say about Rangers v Celtic scenes?

Questions are now being asked as to whether Rangers and Celtic fans will get reduced allocations for Old Firm derby games once again, as the unsavoury scenes at Ibrox are likely to bring about severe punishments for both clubs.

Writing in his column in the Daily Record, Ferguson was disgusted by what he witnessed last Sunday, and has called for these levels of violence to be stopped for good.

“Numb. Empty. Sad. Flat. For a number of reasons these last few days have been a mixture of all of the above,” Ferguson wrote.

“As someone who has always spoken up for the Old Firm derby – and who still believes it’s the best game in world football – it’s been difficult to process what we witnessed before during and after Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final.

“From the vandalism to the violence, it was everything I didn’t want to see from a fixture which means so much to me.

“I get it. I’m biased. I grew up in the west of Scotland and I was born into this rivalry. It’s part of what makes me tick.

But I was stood there at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon, shaking my head in disbelief and bitter disappointment.”

Ferguson then spoke about what had been playing on his mind the most in the days following the game, and why scenes such as the like we saw at Ibrox have no place in Scottish football.

“Most of all I’ve been thinking about all the young kids who were inside that stadium – at both ends of the pitch – and who had to experience all of it,” he continued.

“It must have been terrifying for them and I just hope it hasn’t put them off following their team in the future, whichever team that might be.

“This sort of stuff simply has to stop. Yes, we can all feel angry and frustrated but it should never boil over into scenes like that.

“As someone who has always called for the return of full away allocations I have to be honest and admit it’s never going to happen now. And that’s a huge shame in itself.

“I’m not even sure that any aways fans will be allowed inside Parkhead when Rangers go there after the split but we’ll just have to wait and see what the upshot is between now and then.”

What have Rangers said in aftermath of Celtic?

Trust is now surely broken once again between supporters of both Rangers and Celtic, and the Scottish FA, as we await to see how Scottish football’s governing body react to what happened at Ibrox, and the potential punishments coming the way of both clubs.

That’s a huge shame, as the Old Firm derby isn’t the same without big away followings at both Ibrox and Parkhead, and after working so hard and long for this element of the fixture to return, that’s now likely to have been for nothing.

Writing in an official club statement, Rangers are also evidently not happy with what went on at Ibrox, and have confirmed that they will fully support an independent review into what happened, what went wrong and how it can be fixed.

“The disorder that occurred on Sunday was unacceptable and we condemn it unequivocally. Safety must always come first in football, for supporters, players and everyone working in and around the game,” Rangers said.

“There are now a number of serious issues which require proper examination. For that reason, we agree that there should be a fully independent review into the events surrounding the match.

“That review must be thorough and wide-ranging, examining the decisions and actions of all relevant parties.

“Its scope must include the broader context around this fixture, from the initial decisions on ticket allocations through to the sequence of incidents that followed the match.”

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