A Celtic supporter has been sacked from his job this week after making a ‘completely unacceptable’ gesture that went viral in the aftermath of the latest Old Firm Derby. Cyriel Dessers gave Rangers the lead at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon, but Adam Idah equalised shortly before the hour-mark to ensure Britain’s biggest derby ended in a 1-1 draw.
While Celtic have already clinched the Scottish Premiership title – securing their fourth consecutive championship and drawing level with Rangers’ all-time record of 55 titles – matches between the two Glasgow giants are never treated as mere formalities. The Bank Holiday fixture has yet again sparked further controversy off the pitch.
In a widely shared video, the man – identified as Darren Malloch – can be seen mocking the 1971 Ibrox stadium disaster, a tragic incident in which 66 fans lost their lives and over 200 were injured in a crowd crush. Malloch is now facing the consequences of his actions, a report by the Daily Record has confirmed.
Celtic Supporter Sacked After Mocking Ibrox Stadium Disaster
A video of him mocking the 66 fatalities quickly went viral
Malloch can be seen taunting the tragedy by displaying the number 66 on his phone screen. He then goes on to show the numbers with his fingers after putting his mobile phone away, trying to spark a reaction from the home supporters. Watch the shocking incident below:
He was a project manager with Advance Construction Scotland. However, the company have since announced that his employment has been terminated in the wake of the shameful images. A spokesperson for Advance Construction told the Record:
“We can confirm that an individual has been dismissed from our employment, following an incident involving completely unacceptable behaviour at the recent Rangers v Celtic football match. As a company, we hold all employees to the highest standards of conduct, both inside and outside the workplace.
“In line with our disciplinary procedures, we will not tolerate or condone this behaviour. We believe that Police Scotland is also investigating this incident, and therefore, we are unable to make any further comment on the matter.”
It comes as a silver-lining news story amid the rise of tragedy chanting in recent years. According to Kick It Out, as per the Guardian, the 2023-24 season witnessed a 32 per cent increase in discrimination reports, including tragedy-related abuse, compared to the previous year.
Earlier on Monday morning, Rangers Football Club slammed the “abhorrent” mocking of the disaster. It said in a statement that the tragedy, which took place in 1971, remains the darkest day in the club’s history.
