Fans injured in crush at Old Firm game

Five football fans have been treated for injuries after a crowd crush before the first Old Firm game of the season.

The incident happened before yesterday’s Celtic vs Rangers match in Glasgow’s Janefield Street as fans tried to get into the stadium.

Police Scotland said one person was taken to hospital after falling from a wall, while four others were treated by first aiders at the scene before attending the match.

Chief Superintendent Brian Mcinulty said: “This was a dynamic situation, occurring ten minutes before the match started. Officers and stewards reacted quickly upon realising there was an issue and put in place measures to relieve the congestion.

“This included putting in place cordons to prevent further entry at Janefield St and opening up London Road to allow fans to access the stadium from the south.

“We plan and practice various scenarios to ensure that if an incident occurs it will be dealt with as quickly as possible, as happened in this case.

“We will review today’s incident and work with Celtic to ensure any learning is quickly put in place.”

Celtic supporter liaison officer John Paul Taylor posted on Twitter: “Apologies to fans affected by overcrowding issue at North Stand earlier, the club will be investigating to ensure no recurrence.”

One supporter told BBC Scotland: “People were panicking and climbing over the fences as they couldn’t actually breathe properly. I was behind a woman with a boy of about ten who was getting rocked.

“Myself and my friends were fine but there were women and kids there. It must have been really scary for them.”