Stand closures could be required for Scottish football to avert its missile crisis

The reaction to Arne Engels being struck just above his eye by a coin as he attempted to take a corner towards the end of the Old Firm match at Ibrox last night? Think again. Try the fallout to the Premiership game between the Glasgow rivals at Parkhead back in May.

Seeing Engels, the Belgian internationalist who was signed by the Scottish champions for a record £11m transfer fee in August, fall to the turf clutching his face in agony after being hit by a missile was alarming in the extreme. It was also depressing to learn later that his manager Brendan Rodgers had been targeted, albeit unsuccessfully, as well.  

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It is to be hoped the imbeciles who were responsible can be weeded out in the days to come and dealt with accordingly.

However, the fact that such scenes are becoming commonplace in Scottish football is perhaps even more concerning. They are certainly regular occurrences in games between Celtic and Rangers. Back in May, it was James Tavernier who was showered with coins, cigarette lighters and disposable vapes in the East End.

The strongly-worded statements which were issued on that occasion, the appeals to clubs, to the police and to the sport’s governing bodies to get on top of the problem and send out a strong message that such abhorrent behaviour will not be tolerated, and many others like it have clearly not had any impact.   

Dundee United’s win over Aberdeen in a league match at Tannadice last week was marred by their manager Jim Goodwin having several objects, including a vodka bottle, hurled at him by the travelling supporters who were situated in the Jerry Kerr Stand high behind his dugout.  

(Image: Paul Devlin – SNS Group) Goodwin, whose spell in charge at Pittodrie had not ended well, was scathing about the treatment which he had been subjected to afterwards. “It is not acceptable,” he said. “The amount of missiles that were coming down from above was disappointing. I hope the authorities will look at it.”

The police confirmed that enquiries were being carried out. But has anyone been charged with public disorder offences? Have examples been made of the cretins who shamed the Aberdeen support during a match which was broadcast live by Premier Sports? Nothing continues to happen.

That is perhaps the root of the problem. The neds who exist in every fanbase know, or at least firmly believe, they can act with impunity after a match kicks off, can do whatever they desire safe in the knowledge that there are unlikely to be any serious repercussions for them. SFA president Mike Mulraney last month bemoaned the fact that only one banning order had been issued all year. 

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The individual who hit Engels was clearly of limited intelligence and might very well have been in an inebriated state. Would they have thought twice if they were aware of of the custodial sentences and bans which had been handed out to those who had done the same thing in the past? It is doubtful.

Engels was far from the first Celtic player to be targeted by undesirables at Ibrox in recent times. Joe Hart had to clear broken glass out of his goalmouth during an Old Firm match in Govan back in 2022. Physio Daniel Friel was struck on the head by a glass bottle in the same game and required four stitches. The fan responsible was apprehended, jailed for a year and banned for life by Rangers. But still the problem persists. 

(Image: Steve Welsh – PA Wire) It is easy to have sympathy with clubs on this issue. There were 51,065 fans in the crowd at Ibrox yesterday afternoon. Can Rangers really be held accountable for stupidity of one or two of them? Will they be able to single out who was responsible for Engels being struck even if they do have footage of the section where the missile came from? There is no guarantee. But the platitudes which are trotted out whenever this happens will not suffice. Bans might not even be enough. 

The Scottish game is slowly but surely trying to get to grips with its pyrotechnic problem. The SPFL have initiated disciplinary proceedings against Celtic, Motherwell and Rangers for the displays which delayed the start of the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals in November. If those clubs are forced to close down stands in future it might, just might, make a difference going forward. UEFA have shown that sanction can be highly effective. 

There is no strict liability in this country so it may be hard for such draconian measures to be imposed. But warnings and bans are clearly not making any difference. Engels was fortunate he wasn’t hit directly in his eye. The next player, manager or match official to be struck might not be so lucky. More, much more, needs to be done.