The Scottish Football Association is expected to this morning announce a probe into the violent scenes surrounding yesterday's championship decider which saw the referee Hugh Dallas hit by an object thrown from the crowd, three sendings-off and three fans arrested after running on to the pitch.
The game boiled over in the 41st minute, with Celtic 1-0 down and following the dismissal of their defender Stephane Mahe. Within seconds Dallas was struck on the forehead by the object, thought to be a coin. He immediately fell to the ground with blood pumping from the wound. Clearly shaken, Scotland's World Cup official resumed his duties but was almost immediately at the centre of more controversy when he awarded a penalty to Rangers, which they duly scored. Dallas had four stitches inserted at half-time, but came out for the second half. Rangers went on to win 3-0 and regained the title they lost to their bitter rivals last season. Rangers gained the advantage of an early goal as the patchwork nature of Celtic's line-up was soon exposed.
A Giovanni van Bronkhorst pass down the left took Vidar Riseth out of play, Rod Wallace ran into the space and his low cross was bundled over the line by McCann. Morten Wieghorst then went close for Celtic, but it was slowly turning out to be one of the more unpleasant of Old Firm matches and in the 29th minute it spilled over.
Mahe, booked earlier, was harshly adjudged to have fouled McCann and the red card was produced. The Frenchman rushed at Dallas, players gathered round and it was some time before Mahe was calm enough to leave. The occasion became completely distasteful with the arrival of fans on the pitch, and soon after Dallas was hit and collapsed. Then, in the 43rd minute, he incurred their wrath again, judging that Riseth had pushed Tony Vidmar at a corner kick. He gave the penalty and Jorg Albertz beat Stewart Kerr from the spot. The interval could not come quickly enough.
The second half saw the temperatures drop a little. A third Rangers goal had to arrive and it duly did in the 75th minute, when McCann ran through the middle, drew Kerr and sidestepped before tapping the ball into the net.
The referee had his notebook out incessantly. He just about managed to keep a lid on the worst excesses until the last five minutes, when red mists descended on both teams.
Wallace was sent off in the 85th minute for a reprisal on Riseth and in the last seconds the same Celtic man took a lunge at the nearest player and was walking to the dug-out before the referee had showed him the inevitable red.
Once again the Old Firm game had tarnished the fragile image of Scottish football.
Celtic: Kerr, Annoni, Marshall, Stubbs, Riseth, Mahe, Lambert, Wieghorst (Healy 69), Larsson, Viduka, Brattbakk (Donnelly 60). Subs Not Used: Johnson, Burchill, Corr. Sent Off: Mahe (31), Riseth (90). Booked: Mahe, Kerr, Wieghorst, Stubbs, Healy, Riseth, Annoni.
Rangers: Klos, Porrini, Amoruso, Vidmar, Hendry, Van Bronckhorst, Albertz (McInnes 85), McCann, Reyna, Wallace, Amato (Johansson 73). Subs Not Used: Niemi, Wilson, Riccio. Sent Off: Wallace (86). Booked: Vidmar, McCann, Amato. Goals: McCann 12, Albertz 44 pen, McCann 76.
Referee: H Dallas (Bonkle).
