The incident involving the Celtic star and Rangers happened in the second half of the Old Firm.
Celtic star Viljami Sinisalo has been targeted by Rangers fans in the latest Old Firm derby.
The Hoops are at Ibrox on Sunday to take on their rivals, where away supporters are again in situ after seasons without them on the Premiership scene. Ibrox is still mainly packed with Rangers fans and the Finnish goalkeeper was in the goal right in front of the Copland Road stand when an off camera incident occurred.
Commentator Ian Crocker spotted as the game was going on that the Celtic shot stopper had some things thrown at him. As play was flowing, he made mention of it on his commentary, flanked by Rangers and Celtic heroes Scott Arfield and Chris Sutton. He said: “A few things might have been thrown at Sinisalo there, sadly.”
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‘It saddens me’ – Rangers star LEAVES club without chance to say goodbye and claims he ‘wasn’t afforded opp… Jonathon Moar 4 – 5 minutes He’s vowed to return to the club in the future Published: 9:50, 20 May 2025 Updated: 9:50, 20 May 2025 IT’S going to be a summer of big changes at Rangers. And one long-serving star has confirmed he’s on his way OUT of the club this summer. Rangers players celebrating with the SPFL Premiership trophy. 3 Leon Balogun won the Scottish Premiership title with RangersCredit: The Sun Leon Balogun of Rangers applauding at a football match. 3 He appears to have played his last game for the clubCredit: SNS With the US takeover of Rangers close to completion, a new sporting director in place and a new manager on the brink of being appointed, it’s going to be all things change at Ibrox. Alongside the off-field changes, there’s likely to be a significant amount of upheaval with regards to the playing squad as well. Loan star Vaclav Cerny already appears to have said his goodbye while other players’ contracts are coming to an end. One of those is veteran defender Leon Balogun. READ MORE RANGERS STORIES A popular figure with players and fans alike, the Nigeria international will turn 37 next month. He initially joined Rangers from Wigan in 2020 and went on to be a part of the side that won the Scottish Premiership title under Steven Gerrard in 2021. Balogun’s deal expired in 2022 and there was considerable surprise that he wasn’t afforded a new one. After a season with QPR, he returned to Rangers in July 2023 on a one-year contract. Despite injury setbacks and his advancing years, Balogun continued to prove himself a consistent and reliable performer. He earned another one-year contract but it looks like a third year will NOT be forthcoming. Kris Boyd says Rangers players were in SHOCK that ‘ghost goal’ against Hibs wasn’t given Balogun – who stated his desire to stay at Rangers just last week – appears to have confirmed his exit in an emotional message. The lengthy and frank post on social media also sees Balogun bemoan the fact he doesn’t believe he was afforded the opportunity to say a proper goodbye – going so far to say it SADDENS him. The defender, who has declared himself a Rangers fan, vowed ‘not to be a stranger’ in the future. On Instagram, Balogun said: “It’s that time again. “No caption could summarise all that is going through my mind as I’m writing these lines. “It’s been nothing short of an honour, a pleasure and a great, great privilege to represent this massive club – twice! “So many memories, good ones as well as a few tough ones. “But it’s the latter especially that made my love for the club grow even stronger. “The moments when we all stuck together and went again – no matter the disappointment or frustration. In these moments the club revealed what makes it most special: YOU. “The people supporting us week in week out, near and far, demanding, expecting, pushing us to do better and go for glory. “The people working for the club behind the scenes, meeting us with a smile everyday, doing their absolute best to contribute to the success of the club in their own way. You’re the heartbeat of the club and it’s been an honour to represent you! “If I would have known that the last two games of the season were my last for the club I would have made sure to say goodbye to all of you accordingly. “Unfortunately I wasn’t afforded that opportunity which saddens me as I would have liked to have walked round Ibrox one last time and returned all the love and support you’ve given me during my 2 stints. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I promise I won’t be a stranger. “Thank you for making me feel at home and appreciated wherever we met. “You’ve become more than just my club, you’ve become family. “And for that I will be forever grateful.” Read more on the Scottish Sun Rangers’ search for a new manager, meanwhile, is nearing a close. SunSport exclusively revealed last night that Steven Gerrard and Russell Martin are the two candidates going head-to-head to become the next Light Blues boss. Soccer player Leon Balogun in uniform, applauding. 3 Balogun posted his goodbye on InstagramCredit: INSTAGRAM/@LEONBALOGUN Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
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Celtic star reaction to being targeted by Rangers fans
The action of things being thrown at Rangers fans went unseen but they then cut to Sinisalo picking something off the turf and throwing it off the pitch, Crocker cutting back in with: “Sinisalo having to pick up debris that was thrown in his direction, sadly.”
Sinisalo is currently covering for number one Kasper Schmeichel, who is injured. Rodgers said when the former Aston Villa youngster came into the team: “Obviously we’ve signed Vil because he’s got a great future and great potential. Of course, he was in to learn off of Kasper and invest in that time in his development. Kasper has played most of the season, but I’ve seen enough of Vil over the course of pre-season and the game he had here [in the cup]. Even though he didn’t have a lot to do, his concentration was good, and now is the chance for him to come in.
“You never know with any player, whether it’s a goalkeeper or outfield player, until they go in. So, I’m really looking forward to seeing him play. He’s shown up really well in training but, of course, playing in front of the stands when they are full is totally different. He’s got a great mentality and is a really good goalkeeper, so it’s a good opportunity for him.”
Celtic stopper’s message for Brendan Rodgers
At the end of March, Sinisalo said he’s ready to become Celtic’s permanent number one. He said to the Scottish Sun: “You’ve got to have that confidence. I’ve always been a confident man. One coach back in the day always said to me ‘Have confidence to the point of arrogance.’ You can’t be arrogant, but you’ve got to be confident.
“So, I’ll back myself. And however many games that is, I’ve got to back myself, which I will. You’ve got to do that. As a goalkeeper, you’ve got to be ready for your moment. That’s why I’ve worked hard every day since I started my professional career and every day since I’ve signed for this football club during the summer. Every footballer wants to play and when you get that moment, that chance, you’ve got to take it. Keep ticking the games away and playing well and stuff like that.
“It’s a mental game. Especially for a club like this, it’s mental. You’ve got to be switched on at every single moment in the game because things can happen so quickly.”
