Celtic were defeated 3-0 at Ibrox this afternoon in a rare Glasgow derby victory for Rangers.
It was a dismal display from the Hoops, but perhaps the most concerning point of the game came towards the end when Arne Engels was shockingly struck by what appeared to be a coin thrown by a Rangers fan.
Introduced as a substitute in the 75th minute, the Belgian went to the far side to take a corner. Shamefully, a crowd member chucked a missile at the midfielder, who went down holding his face.
These embarrassing scenes must be cut from football. Something must be done to preserve the safety of Celtic players and members of staff in their workplace.
Only a few years ago, a broken glass bottle was found in Joe Hart’s penalty area in Govan.
Action needs to be taken. Only last week, Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin called for a lifetime ban for Aberdeen supporters who chucked missiles onto the pitch at Tannadice. A similar punishment for the Gers fans who have done the same today wouldn’t be out of place.
We’ll see what comes of this shocking incident, in which the safety of Engels was put at major risk.
The coin that hit the 21-year-old was handed to a police officer immediately and put in a clear plastic bag. The authorities will be all over this, one assumes.
