Celtic have partially won their appeal against the Scottish FA’s punishment following the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox in March, but the club must still play its next home tie in the competition behind closed doors.

The independent appellate tribunal’s decision was reported on Thursday, 29 October, following Monday’s appeal hearing. While Celtic have successfully overturned the threat of a second stadium closure, the immediate ban remains in place.

It means supporters will be locked out of Celtic Park if the Hoops are drawn at home when they begin their defence of the Scottish Cup.

Kick-off, TV and form for the Glasgow derby are all in one place.

Celtic had also challenged the order to pay £100,000 in compensation to the visiting club for that fixture.

That payment has been upheld, although the tribunal has introduced one significant exception. If Rangers are the visiting side, Celtic will not have to make the £100,000 payment.

For any other opponent, the money must be paid within 30 days of the match taking place.

The appeal tribunal also removed the suspended punishment that could have seen Celtic ordered to play another Scottish Cup home match behind closed doors if there was further unacceptable supporter conduct before the end of the 2027/28 season.

The SFA decision read: “Appeal Partially Upheld. The Appellate Tribunal affirm the order that the next home Scottish Cup match for Celtic FC be played behind closed doors, and set aside the suspended further stadium closure and the suspended further compensatory payment.

“The Appellate Tribunal affirm the immediate compensatory payment of £100,000, payable within 30 days of completion of the match, but vary its terms under paragraphs 17.6.1(c), (e) and (i) to provide that no payment is due under that order if Rangers FC are the visiting club. For any other visiting club, the amount anddeadline remain unchanged. The qualification does not affect the requirement to play the match behind closed doors £500 of the £1000 Appeal Deposit to be returned to the Appellant.”

The additional suspended £100,000 compensation payment has also been scrapped.

Rangers have also had their appeal partially upheld, with their next home Scottish Cup tie still behind closed doors, but the suspended second ban and £100,000 penalty overturned.

Celtic will receive £500 of their £1,000 appeal deposit back.

The sanctions were announced on 28 August after Celtic admitted a charge under the SFA’s Disciplinary Rule 37 over the disorder following their Scottish Cup quarter-final victory against Rangers on 8 March.

The Hoops won 4-2 on penalties after 120 goalless minutes at Ibrox, but the celebrations were followed by serious disorder as supporters from both clubs entered the pitch.

Missiles and pyrotechnics were thrown, with police and stewards forced to intervene. Police Scotland subsequently reported 43 arrests.

An independent review of the incident, led by stadium safety consultant Mark Blackbourne, examined the conduct of both sets of supporters and the security arrangements at Ibrox.

The report condemned the Celtic supporters who entered the pitch, while distinguishing between their initial celebrations and the response from sections of the Rangers support.

It described the Union Bears’ movement towards the pitch as “reactionary, confrontational, and overtly threatening”.

The review also identified shortcomings in the planning and security arrangements at Ibrox, where Rangers were responsible for stadium safety as the home club.

Among its findings were concerns about the assessment of the risk of a pitch invasion and the response to the disorder.

A Rangers supporter, Marc Spence, has since admitted assaulting Celtic first-team masseur Allan Baird during the pitch invasion.

Celtic strongly criticised the original punishment when it was announced in August.

The club described the decision as “disproportionate”, arguing that the circumstances of the pitch invasion and the distinction between the behaviour of the two sets of supporters should have been considered.

Those arguments have not persuaded the appellate tribunal to overturn the immediate stadium closure.

However, the removal of the suspended sanctions represents a reduction in Celtic’s potential punishment.

Rangers, who received the same original sanctions and appealed separately, have also had their appeal partially upheld.

They must play their next home Scottish Cup tie behind closed doors, while their suspended second closure and accompanying compensation payment have been removed.

Like Celtic, Rangers must pay £100,000 to their next home Scottish Cup opponents unless the visiting club is their Glasgow rival.

Celtic lifted the Scottish Cup in May with a 3-1 victory over Dunfermline Athletic at Hampden, completing a domestic double under Martin O’Neill.

The club will enter this season’s competition in the fourth round, with ties scheduled for the weekend of 16 January 2027.

Should Celtic be drawn at home, that fixture will take place without supporters inside Celtic Park.

If their first Scottish Cup tie is away from home, the punishment will instead apply to their next home match in the competition.

The club will also lose the opportunity to generate a normal matchday gate from the affected fixture, with the £100,000 compensation requirement remaining in place unless Rangers provide the opposition.

Celtic’s appeal has therefore removed the possibility of an additional suspended stadium closure under this ruling, but it has not prevented supporters from missing a home Scottish Cup tie during the club’s defence of the trophy.

At the time of the original sanctions, Celtic stated: “We are shocked by this disproportionate punishment for a relatively small incursion by Celtic supporters at a moment of emotion and celebration.”

The club also argued that its status as the visiting team should have been considered when deciding the punishment.

Celtic released the following statement: “While we recognise that our appeal has been partially upheld, we remain extremely disappointed by this excessive and disproportionate punishment relating to an incursion by supporters at a moment of emotion and celebration.

“It continues to be our view that a false equivalence has been drawn in relation to the very different actions of two groups.

“We have not defended supporters entering the field of play and understand the part emotion plays in football. We would have expected this context and the very obvious distinction in behaviours to have been recognised.

“Additionally, the fact that Celtic Football Club had no responsibility for stadium safety arrangements also seems to have been disregarded in establishing these sanctions.”