Old Firm fan Kraig, 11, hit by bottle
AN 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital yesterday after being hit on the head with a bottle before the Old Firm match.
The young football fan is believed to have been with his father when he was struck while walking to Hampden Park, Glasgow.
He was hurt 15 minutes before kick-off, as a zero tolerance approach to thugs saw police make 18 arrests inside and around the stadium.
The boy’s mother, Laura Mackay, 30, last night said her son was still in shock.
She added: ‘I am livid. Someone needs to be punished for this and maybe make the fan think twice about doing something like this again.
‘Maybe he has a kid himself. I want him to see the state Kraig was in. How would he feel if this was his boy? Kraig is still in shock. I don’t think it has sunk in for him yet.’
A police spokesman last night said the youngster was injured while walking along Aikenhead Road in the city’s Mount Florida area at about 2pm on Sunday.
Officers called an ambulance, which took him to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
A police helicopter could be seen circling the skies above Hampden yesterday to direct an operation which included some officers being ferried around in unmarked vans.
But despite the large police presence and the warning that extra officers would be on duty, a large fight among fans was seen in the area.
A video taken before the match shows around a dozen men brawling on a residential street near the football ground. At one point the footage shows a man hitting a rival fan with a road sign.
The Betfred League Cup semi-final, which ended with a Celtic 1-0 win, comes after last month’s Premiership derby which was marred by the conduct of both sides.
Celtic fans were condemned after effigies of Rangers supporters were hung from the Parkhead stands while visiting supporters destroyed a stadium toilet.
After yesterday’s game, some frustrated Rangers fans left before the final whistle and traffic came to a standstill as the stadium emptied.
Among those arrested was a 27-year-old-man who was detained in connection with an alleged sectarian breach of the peace outside the ground.
A 17-year-old man was also arrested and detained in connection with allegedly being in possession of a pyrotechnic device within the ground.
A further 16 men, aged between 17 and 68 were arrested for minor public order offences.