Celtic and Rangers have received a stern warning following last season's fan disorder, with both clubs ordered to play their next home Scottish Cup matches behind closed doors. This decision stems from chaos that erupted during last season's quarter-final, where fan behavior marred the event.

As part of the sanctions, both clubs will also incur a £100,000 fee payable to their opponents in the upcoming fixture. If further incidents of unacceptable conduct arise from either club's supporters, they could face an additional home match without fans.

The last encounter between these fierce rivals saw Celtic advance to the semi-finals after defeating Rangers on penalties at Ibrox. Following this victory, both sets of fans flooded the pitch, leading to dangerous scenes.

Key details include:

• The sanctions will take effect during the fourth-round stage of this season's Scottish Cup in mid-January.
• The trouble, which occurred in March, involved fans throwing fireworks and missiles, resulting in injuries to police officers and multiple arrests.
• Both clubs presented their cases to an independent judicial panel after being charged under the Scottish FA's disciplinary rule 37.

An independent review, led by Mark Blackbourne, highlighted that the incident narrowly avoided escalating into a violent confrontation. The report criticized both clubs for their failings and the Scottish FA for its lack of a robust response to crowd disorder.

While the SFA has historically imposed fines and reduced ticket allocations for similar issues, this latest decision marks a significant shift towards stricter enforcement. The governing body aims to convey a clear message that unacceptable conduct will face serious consequences.