Four police officers injured before Celtic v Utrecht match and Rangers lose out to Porto

Celtic's Colby Donovan and Utrecht's Derry John Murkin battle for the ball during the UEFA Europa League match at Celtic Park, Glasgow
Police said the officers were injured before Thursday’s match between Celtic and Utrecht

BBC Scotland is reporting that four police officers were injured after missiles and fireworks were thrown before the Europa League match between Celtic and Utrecht.

Three men were also arrested and charged in connection with offences including assault and carrying a bladed weapon.

Police Scotland said a 36-year-old was due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday.

Two other suspects, aged 17 and 37, will appear at a later date.

Celtic defeated the Dutch side 4-2 to progress to the knock-out stage of the tournament. Having finished 21st in the league phase, Celtic will now face German team Stuttgart in the play-off round.

The force said a proportionate policing plan was in place and officers responded to reports of disorder as fans made their way to Celtic Park from the city centre.

Ch Supt Phil Davison said: “This behaviour has no place in football or in local communities and it will not be tolerated.

“A number of missiles and fireworks were thrown and four officers sustained minor injuries. There were no other injuries reported.”

He said work, which will include CCTV analysis, was ongoing to identify others involved in the violence.

Davison added: “Being assaulted is not part of the job for police officers.

“We take a zero tolerance approach to violence against emergency service workers and will hold those responsible to account.”

Meanwhile, Rangers say they have received numerous reports from fans and staff regarding issues at Porto’s stadium during the Europa League defeat and will be “pursuing them with the relevant parties”.

Rangers will collect further information about the complaints, with reports suggesting visiting fans were held inside Estadio do Dragao for up to two hours on Thursday night after the 3-1 defeat.

Djeidi Gassama gave Danny Rohl’s team the lead but the home side fought back to win and leave Rangers in 32nd place of the 36 teams in the Europa League phase.

A Rangers statement read: “Following the match in Porto, we’ve received multiple reports from supporters and staff about issues in and around the stadium.

“That’s not what anyone who travelled to support Rangers should have had to deal with, and we share the concern, anger and frustration felt by those affected.

“We will be gathering complaints and feedback and will pursue this with the relevant parties.”

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