THE huge holes which opened up in the Fenerbahce midfield and defence once their Europa League last 16 match against Rangers got underway in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on Thursday evening were a welcome sight for their opponents.
Barry Ferguson’s charges exploited them fully and recorded a comfortable and completely unexpected 3-1 away victory over Jose Mourinho’s men which gives them an excellent chance of progressing to the quarter-finals next week.
The considerable gap which will be present in the Ibrox club’s support the next time they play in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden will not, however, be so pleasant for them to see.
Yet, those responsible for the punishment which the SPFL meted out to Rangers this week following an independent investigation into the “large-scale, organised and illegal” pyrotechnic displays which were staged in both the semi-final and final of this season’s competition only have themselves to blame.
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The ultras groups which set off flares, smoke bombs, strobes, flashbangs and rockets in the stands on these showpiece occasions and so endanger the physical wellbeing of their fellow supporters as well as their own team’s players on the pitch have been warned repeatedly about their reckless and selfish actions.
If they are prevented from filing through the turnstiles at the Mount Florida venue and cheering on their heroes in the near future then it is entirely down to them.
Their Celtic and Motherwell counterparts can also, after the Parkhead and Fir Park clubs were found to have breached rule H34 by failing to ensure their fans did not engage in unacceptable conduct before their cup matches or take appropriate disciplinary action after them, have no complaints about the sanctions they have been hit with.
The penalties which Celtic, Motherwell and Rangers have been hit with may, given the scale of what is a deeply worrying and escalating problem at all levels of the game in this country, seem to some to be slightly lenient.
All three clubs have been told they face having their ticket allocation for a Premier Sports Cup game at Hampden reduced by 800 if pyro is set off by any SPFL competition, and that includes the William Hill Premiership, before March 30, 2027.
The Glasgow giants, meanwhile, have been informed they will receive 500 fewer briefs than is normally the case when they next play in a League Cup match at the national stadium.
Will the absence of such a small number of their followers really be, given that they both have tens of thousands of supporters roaring them on in these outings, keenly felt? It is, though, a start. And a long overdue one at that.
The absence of strict liability – which allows clubs to be punished for the misdeeds of their supporters regardless of the safeguards they have put in place before games or the measures they have taken after unrest – in Scotland makes it difficult for the governing bodies to act. The SPFL deserve credit for doing something despite the limitations they work under.
Celtic and Rangers can send out a strong message by cordoning off the areas behind the goals which are normally occupied by the Green Brigade, Bhoys Celtic, the Union Bears and the Rangers Riot Crew and leaving them entirely empty at their next Premier Sports Cup semi-final outing.
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The Parkhead and Ibrox hierarchies may struggle, due to the balaclavas which the ultras wear, to identify who is lighting pyrotechnics. But the members of those groups are known to them. They can be prevented from buying tickets. It is they, not the ordinary fans who just want to see their side play well and win, who should be made to suffer.
It is to be hoped that the possibility of being stopped from seeing the club they purport to love acts, as it has done in the Champions League this term, as a powerful deterrent for those who seem hell bent on turning football matches into Guy Fawkes Night.
AND ANOTHER THING
The giant tifos which the Green Brigade have produced in the North Curve at Parkhead before Champions League matches in recent seasons have been hugely impressive and have done a great deal to enhance the atmosphere on big European nights in the East End of Glasgow.
So it will be unfortunate if they are prevented from doing so again in future because of the “unauthorised banners” which they have, despite the protocols that Celtic have long had in place, unfurled at games in recent weeks.
The Parkhead hierarchy are right to share the unease of those supporters who have contacted them to voice their concerns and are quite correct to review their procedures.
If Celtic ultras are prohibited from displaying their wonderful tifos during important fixtures in future as a consequence of that process it will be a crying shame. However, it will be a direct result of their own arrogance and stupidity.
