Old Firm disorder reports being abandoned – how will the authorities respond?

This report is a testament to the way things are between these two clubs and how their Ultras teams behave.

Blackbourne catalog in detail that day, a cup game won on penalties by Celtic, a victory that sparked an “absolutely inexcusable” pitch invasion by hundreds among the more than 8,000 visiting fans.

There was then an “immediately hostile” attack by Rangers fans, many wearing face coverings and carrying “sticks and reinforced gloves”. In the report it is said that “it is a minor miracle that no one was seriously injured”.

It took police four minutes and 28 seconds to gain control – “a time when life-threatening violence could have occurred”.

He mentions the danger of crushing on Broomloan street when Celtic fans without tickets clashed with security, whether the police had no plan for fans outside the stadium, some police say they are now “traumatized” working in this game.

There is a gamut of observations and flak.

A risk assessment before the game concluded that a pitch attack was “impossible”, one of the many performance failures is a report that skips everywhere. “A number of people who were interviewed used the word ‘complacency’,” she said.

There are calls for the Scottish FA to commit to and enforce a zero tolerance policy across the board. “Category closures, not ticket reductions, should be the first and most common response to deterring unacceptable behavior.”

Ultras groups have come up for serious scrutiny in the report. And there was much criticism of the Old Firm’s inability to control their Ultras, who were described as feeling like organized crime groups.

“Clubs have shown reluctance to deal with this dynamic, partly because of the amount of atmosphere Ultra Clubs provide, and partly because of fear of consequences,” the report added.

“These groups demonstrate internal governance, coordinated planning, awareness of operational security, and the use of fear in achieving ‘best position’.

“What the football authorities and Police Scotland are saying is important: these are not spontaneous gangs of unorganized supporters but organized organizations that require an intelligence-led, multi-agency response.”

There is a nod to all of this.

Is there an in-game stomach for the kind of changes the investigation is looking for? Are the authorities the backbone of suppressing the type of reforms, or elements of reforms, that other powerful organizations may strongly resist?

“Across all those interviewed, there was a consistent and strongly expressed view that the Scottish FA and SPFL had the disciplinary powers to take more drastic action than they did but chose not to,” the report said.

“The existing rulebook – which each club signs – provides for financial penalties, points deductions, and dismissals… The question is not whether the tools are there. It is whether there is the power to use them.”

If this report does not bring about a major change, then the scenes at Ibrox in March and Celtic Park on the last day of the season (and many others in previous seasons) will continue.

When the report says how close everything came to life-threatening violence, you wonder if the people in power are really listening. What the football authorities do next will be interesting. All eyes are on them.