Trouble flared between rival sets of fans after Scott Robertson opened the scoring during the Easter Road side's 2-0 win at Ibrox, missiles being thrown and punches being exchanged in the same corner of the ground, between the Broomloan Stand and the Sandy Jardine Stand, where there had been bother at the recent abandoned match against Hearts.
After the issue was raised at a customary debrief with the safety officers of both clubs, the Sunday Herald understands SPFL delegate Alan Dick will include the incident in his report. With only six rows of seats left between the fans, and fairly sparse stewarding in the area, the Ibrox club could face any number of sanctions in the event that they are deemed to have made inadequate provisions for the safety of spectators.
These stretch from a simple warning, to a fine, right through to the ultimate draconian sanction of a closure of part of the ground, although this last outcome is highly unlikely and would be deemed a drastic overreaction. Hibs are also responsible for the action of their fans.
If, however, the investigation - which will take into account CCTV footage of the incidents, and statements from the match commander and both clubs - finds that all the appropriate actions were taken then no further action will be required. This follows a three stage process - firstly in preparation for the match, in dealing with the incident when it occurred and whether the culprits were weeded out satisfactorarily afterwards.
With more than 500 people staging a protest against the current Ibrox board prior to the match, which saw Hibs overtake Ibrox into second place in the Championship, Hibs officials are also thought to have encountered difficulties entering and exiting the stadium. While the incident may be used to highlight the dangers of playing top flight football in Scotland on Friday evenings, in general the response from the authorities to these matches is thought to be favourable.