Celtic and Rangers have both been directed to stage their next home games in the Scottish Cup without spectators following last season's Old Firm quarter-final, which was marred by crowd disturbances.
The two clubs could face a second home game behind closed doors should there be another incident where either club's followers participate in "unacceptable conduct" during a Scottish Cup tie.
The sanction will likely take effect when both teams enter this season's Scottish Cup at the fourth-round stage, which is set for mid-January. Celtic and Rangers will each be required to pay £100,000 (just over $135,000) to the opponent they are paired with in that round, as per The Mirror.
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It all originates from the troubling scenes witnessed in last year's encounter at Ibrox, which Celtic secured 4-2 on penalties. It was following the final whistle that both groups of supporters surged onto the field. A total of 43 arrests have now been made in relation to the incident.
The disturbance in March represented the first occasion at Ibrox in seven years that Celtic were allocated the entire Broomloan Stand, resulting in approximately 7,500 away supporters attending the match. That number resulted from Scottish Cup regulations on ticket distribution, which encourage greater away fan attendance at fixtures.
In recent years, the away following has been significantly reduced. An Old Firm league fixture the previous week drew just 2,500 visiting supporters, following an agreement between the clubs to allocate approximately five percent of stadium capacity to away fans for the match. Prior to that, travelling sections had accommodated fans in the hundreds rather than thousands, and on occasion none at all.
An independent review published last month concluded that the incident came within a "very small margin" of escalating into a violent mass confrontation. The report, led by Mark Blackbourne, also took aim at the Scottish FA for failing to adopt a firmer stance on crowd disorder.
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The report singled out supporter groups from both Celtic and Rangers, stating: "The proximity of these groups to the playing surface materially increased the likelihood of a mass incursion and contributed to the rapid escalation of disorder.
"The post-match pitch invasion by several hundred Celtic supporters was wholly inexcusable. It provoked an immediate hostile response from sections of the home support, who forced past stewards and police to reach the pitch."
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