THE physical attacks on Rangers players and staff by Hibernian supporters at the end of the William Hill Scottish Cup final at Hampden back in May were horrifying, terrifying and without precedent in this country.
Within seconds of the final whistle being blown, they were surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of opposition fans. Their path from the field was blocked off and you feared for their wellbeing. It was nothing short of a miracle that none of them were seriously harmed in the violent scuffles which ensued.
The abuse of Rangers followers by their Hibs counterparts – many of whom made their way to the other half of the stadium with the specific intention of goading their rivals – was also alarming. It was little wonder that those seated in the disabled sections felt particularly threatened by such blatant aggression.
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So it is to be hoped that, now the findings of the independent inquiry into the scenes which occurred have finally been published over two months on, the Easter Road club is punished, and punished severely, for the abhorrent conduct of a minority of their supporters.
An example must be made of them. A very clear message must be sent out that such actions are completely unacceptable. It must be driven home in no uncertain terms that this behaviour will not be tolerated in future and will have the most serious repercussions if it does.
That is what should now happen. In his comments contained in the email which released the independent commission report on Friday evening, Stewart Regan, the SFA chief executive, stressed that “the compliance officer will now proceed with the investigation into the cup final from the perspective of the judicial panel protocol”.
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The panel, which is comprised, according to the governing body, of volunteers from “across the spectrum of sport and business in Scotland”, has a wide range of possible sanctions against Hibernian available to it.
They are now free to take disciplinary action against the capital club without prejudicing the investigation that was conducted by Sheriff Principal Bowen. They should take every possible measure open to them for the benefit of our national game.
But Rangers, too, should be reprimanded for the significant role their supporters played in the disgraceful events which marred the end of what had up until that point been a classic Scottish Cup final.
The Ibrox club appears to be suffering from a serious bout of selective amnesia about what took place in Mount Florida on Saturday, May 21.
In a statement released on their official website Friday night they expressed hope the SFA would “remember vividly what actually occurred” and added that “Hibernian fans were allowed to invade the field of play and attack Rangers players and staff, who were offered little protection”.
That was fair enough. But only in as far as it went. What Rangers omitted to mention themselves, and not for the first time either, is that their own fans also engaged in some truly horrifying acts of brutality. During the course of the game there were also incidences of sectarian singing and flares were set off.
As Edward Bowen QC wrote: “When the pitch invasion occurred the overwhelming majority of Rangers supporters behaved properly and many simply left the stadium. A small number allowed themselves to be taunted by the Hibs fans to the point of invading the pitch for the purpose of physical confrontation.”
Please, spare me this utter drivel about these brave warriors taking to the field with the intention of gallantly protecting the players. Their team had long before left the field when they willingly became involved in the unrest. The likes of Wes Foderingham, Andy Halliday, Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace were nowhere to be seen.
The provocation they experienced, while extreme, was no excuse, none whatsoever, for the acts of barbarism they engaged in. I, along with many others inside the stadium, was genuinely concerned for the safety of those they set about. Custodial sentences may well be forthcoming against the individuals involved. So should sporting penalties against the club.
David Martin, Rangers head of security, has written letters to all of those fans arrested at the cup final informing them they have brought the Ibrox club into disrepute and are banned from attending both home and away matches. They have also been told their season tickets will be forfeited and no compensation paid. That hardline stance should be warmly applauded.
But it will not absolve the Ladbrokes Premiership club from further censure from the judicial panel. Nor should it. Rule 28 of the competition rules clearly states, unlike in the senior leagues in Scotland, that “clubs are responsible for the behaviour of their players, officials, members and supporters”.
Rangers will, then, have to accept whatever retribution is meted out to them. They can have little cause to complain when it is.
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