The Scottish Professional Football League has appealed for fans to contact Police Scotland with any information pertaining to the incident that saw Celtic’s Arne Engels hit by a coin at Ibrox on Thursday.
The Parkhead substitute fell to the ground as he went to take a corner near the end of the 3-0 William Hill Premiership defeat by Rangers and had to have treatment before resuming.
There were no Hoops fans inside the stadium due to a dispute about away ticket allocations and afterwards Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed that Engels was “okay” but that “an inch lower, he would have been [hit] right in the eye”.
The SPFL joined Rangers and Celtic in condemning the incident.
A spokesman for the SPFL said: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we fully support any steps taken to identify those responsible for such idiotic, criminal acts.
“The dangers of so-called supporters throwing such items onto the pitch are obvious and anyone found guilty of such disgraceful conduct must be dealt with severely by the courts, including the imposition of football banning orders.
“We await the match delegate’s report, and we would urge any fans with relevant information to contact Police Scotland.”
Immediately after the game, Rangers issued a statement which condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms” and confirmed the club will assist Police Scotland with their investigation.
A Celtic spokesperson said later on Thursday night that Police Scotland were investigating two separate incidents, saying: “The repeated targeting of our players and staff with missiles is quite appalling and completely unacceptable.”
Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston afterwards cautioned “everyone to be smart” at games adding, “it’s humans out there, someone’s son, so let’s refrain from chucking things at guys’ heads.”
