GLASGOW — Mark Blackbourne has been appointed to lead the Scottish Football Association's investigation into the disorder that followed the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium in March 2026. The review commenced after a meeting involving Blackbourne, both clubs, Police Scotland and the Scottish FA.

The Scottish FA described Blackbourne as "a vastly experienced sports event consultant who continues to lead on match operations at major club and international competitions under Uefa and Fifa jurisdiction." His appointment follows scenes in which spectators entered the pitch after Celtic won the match on penalties. The game had finished 0-0 after extra time before being decided by the shootout.

The Scottish FA set out the remit of the inquiry in a statement, saying: "The review will seek to establish the facts surrounding what happened during the day of the match, both within Ibrox Stadium and the surrounding area, including examining events and decisions made in advance of, during and following the match, with a view to identifying lessons learnt and making recommendations to avoid a repeat of similar scenes at other fixtures with a similar risk profile."

As of March 30, 2026, a total of 13 arrests had been made in connection with events surrounding the quarter-final. Under Scottish Cup rules, Celtic received an allocation of nearly 7,500 tickets for the quarter-final at Ibrox. The fixture was the second successive meeting between Rangers and Celtic at the stadium across all competitions, and the number of visiting supporters at the cup tie was higher than at a league encounter between the two clubs seven days earlier.