Rangers Supporters Banned After Old Firm Cup Disorder

Two Rangers supporters have been hit with five-year bans from every football ground in the UK after ugly scenes marred an Old Firm Scottish Cup quarter-final in March.

The pair were punished for their roles in disorder that erupted at the end of the tie, turning a high-stakes Glasgow derby into a security operation as stewards and police moved to protect supporters, including children and disabled fans.

Mackenzie Graham, 21, from Glasgow, was caught on video vaulting a fence and charging on to the pitch. He then took it further, gesturing and shouting for others to follow him, leading a group of fans in a pitch invasion that spilled the chaos from the stands onto the playing surface.

In a separate incident, 19-year-old John Smith, from Peterhead, was seen throwing a bottle towards Celtic supporters in the stand. Police officers quickly moved in and apprehended him amid the disorder.

The trouble flared as the match ended and continued while authorities tried to clear and protect sections of the crowd. What should have been a fierce but controlled Old Firm occasion instead finished with images of confrontation and fear.

Both Graham and Smith admitted the charges against them, and now face half a decade locked out of every football stadium in the country.