On January 2, 2023, a teenage Rangers fan, Lee Findlay, aged 18, admitted to injuring a Celtic supporter by recklessly throwing a glass bottle into the away crowd. The victim, identified as Owen Murphy, suffered head injuries leading to permanent disfigurement.
This act of violence, which took place during the 2-2 game between the Glasgow pair at Ibrox, saw many missiles come from the upper stands. Celtic has taken a firm stand, rejecting tickets for Ibrox since that fixture, attributing this decision to safety fears at the stadium.
This response follows a history of incidents where fans and staff have been endangered by objects thrown by home supporters. A Celtic physio once needed stitches after being hit by a bottle thrown from the Ibrox VIP section.
In court proceedings at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Findlay pled guilty to the single charge. Prosecutor Louise James has called for a football banning order to be imposed on Findlay. The severity of the situation was underscored by Sheriff Ian Ferguson, who described the matter as “extremely serious.” [Record Sport]
Celtic won the first Glasgow Derby of this season, played solely in front of home supporters at Ibrox. Sources at Celtic told CeltsAreHere back in September that the Ibrox club were looking in to putting a net around the away section to avoid further incidents. The implementation of that remains to be seen.
Findlay, from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, has been granted bail.
