Celtic knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup at Ibrox, but the match was marred by chaotic scenes as fans clashed on the pitch with police

Police Scotland have issued a warning that large away allocations at Old Firm matches may be untenable following Sunday's violent pitch invasion.

Celtic knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup after a tense penalty shootout victory at Ibrox - with Tomas Cvancara stepping up to score the crucial penalty and secure the Hoops' spot in next month's Hampden semi-final against St Mirren.

Over 7,500 Celtic supporters filled the entire Broomloan Stand for the first time since 2018 after SFA bosses implemented Scottish Cup rules that allow away teams the "right to claim admission for its supporters of up to 20% of the spectator capacity".

However, the marquee event was marred at the conclusion of an intense afternoon as fans from both sides clashed on the pitch. Flares were also thrown into the stands, resulting in injuries to stewards and police officers.

Online footage also depicted a member of Celtic staff being assaulted by a home fan. The police have confirmed that nine arrests have been made so far, but this figure is anticipated to increase significantly in the coming days.

Emma Croft, Greater Glasgow Division Chief Superintendent, suggested that the unsavoury scenes could signal the end of traditional allocations.

When asked if large away allocations would be repeated, Croft told Sky Sports News: "I couldn't comment on that because it wouldn't be me that made the decision but I would say to you that we will have a part to play in that conversation."

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When asked about how severely the trouble would impact future away attendances, Croft responded: "I would say it plays into and leads the conversation moving forward and probably puts us in a position where we cannot have what happened yesterday.

"So our starting position is that that number of away fans is not workable currently. I think behaviours of fans set football back and put the spotlight wrongly on Scottish football. I can see why general fans would feel disgruntled by that."

When pushed on whether she would permit such attendance numbers if the choice was hers, she replied: "No, not at this current time."

Croft revealed that "three or four" police officers had sustained injuries during the disturbances, though she cautioned that this number was likely to rise.

Nevertheless, Croft insisted there had been sufficient officers inside the ground to handle potential confrontations. She explained: "My view was there were enough police officers within the stadium and a flex within those police officers as to what their duties would be and a sizable number of police officers outwith ready to support.

"But I put that in the context of 2026. I don't have the luxury of a significant number of officers. The club operations should be in a position to respond and we will support that accordingly. I'm not, in a view, wanting to put more police officers into stadiums. I don't think it's the right thing to do."

When questioned whether trouble was unavoidable, Croft added: "My argument would be the minute we need to put more policing in because we assume that public can't behave is a problem that we've got moving forward.

"So when we think about the allocation of tickets, away fans etc then that has to be built into what the policing capability and willingness is to support that operation and where our priorities lie elsewhere."