STEWART Regan, the SFA chief executive, last night launched an investigation into the rioting which marred yesterday's William Hill Scottish Cup final, and said the incident had brought "embarrassment" to Scottish football.

In echoes of the infamous 1980 Scottish Cup riot between Celtic and Rangers - the match which led to the current alcohol ban at football grounds - more than half a dozen members of the Rangers playing and backroom staff were subject to varying degrees of assault as Hibs fans streamed onto the pitch with abandon after their side claimed this trophy for the first time in 114 years.

They also ran over to goad the Rangers fans, with running battles between rival fans on the pitch until mounted police eventually came on to restore order. The surface was eventually cleared for the trophy presentation to take place, but Rangers were presented with their runners up medals in the dressing room.

While police and stewards appeared to be slow to react to the situation, Regan defended the association's procedures and refused to jump to conclusions ahead of the review. All manner of sanctions are theoretically available to the association, the ultimate of which could be banning the Easter Road club from claiming their rightful place in the Europa League for the 2016-17 season.

The Herald:

“It’s truly shocking," said Regan. "It was appalling to see fans on the pitch in the way they were. In the UK it’s one of the worst incidents of its kind I’ve seen.

"It’s difficult to try and jump to conclusions about what could have been done," he added. "We had a full operational plan. We had over 1,000 police and stewards there. The Hampden Park management team and Police Scotland have worked together to put in place all provisions for a Category C Increased Risk match - the risk was raised at the request of the police and the team prepared accordingly.

“It’s embarrassing for Scottish football. It’s not what we want the Scottish Cup Final remembered for, not for the players or the management. I want to apologise to the Rangers board, to the Rangers players - and to the Hibs players as well, because the gloss has been taken off their achievement.

The Herald:

“We now have to review what’s happened. We are meeting immediately with police, with the stadium management team and we’ll be identifying what has happened and where the responsibility lies. It’s too early to comment on [sanctions]. We need to identify what happened and work out if there are any areas of responsibility. If there is action to be taken, we’ll take that action."

Rangers declined any media interviews but issued a terse statement afterwards. "Rangers Football Club is shocked at the disgraceful behaviour of Hibs fans at full time," the statement read. "Rangers players and staff were assaulted by these fans who invaded the pitch and in the interests of their safety could not return to the pitch for the medal presentation. There can be no place for the violent behaviour witnessed at the end of the final and Rangers fully expect the Scottish Football Association and Police Scotland to launch an investigation to find out where security measures failed. The club would like to commend Rangers fans for the restraint they showed under severe provocation."