Rangers fan jailed for a year for a bottle thrown at Celtic physio Daniel Friel | Soccer News

A Rangers fan has been jailed for a year after throwing a bottle at a Celtic physiotherapist during an Old Firm game, leaving him scarred for life.

Alan Crawford, 33, was also handed a five-year football ban for an act of “indiscriminate violence”, when he was sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Rangers issued a lifetime ban on Crawford after the club assisted police in their investigations and provided footage to help identify the individual.

Celtic physio Daniel Friel needed four stitches and was left with a scar after being hit in the head by a bottle during the incident at Ibrox on April 3 last year.

When he appeared in court earlier this month, Crawford, from Grangemouth, admitted throwing a bottle at Mr Friel which hit him on the head ‘to his serious injury and permanent disfigurement’.

Sentencing Crawford on Wednesday, Sheriff Tony Kelly described it as an act of “misconduct”.

He said: “You assaulted the complainant by throwing a bottle at him which hit him in the head.

“The assault happened during a football match between Rangers and Celtic.

“The complainant was employed as a physiotherapist by Celtic Football Club. He was sitting in the away team dugout. When he came out of the stand he felt a thud on the left side of his head and saw a small bottle.

“He was bleeding and was treated by the club doctor. It was an attack on someone in the course of his work. The throwing of the bottle was an act of indiscriminate violence.

“It had consequences for the person you hurt and those consequences will stay with him for the rest of his life.”

Celtic won the game 2-1.

Defense agent Harvie Diamond said Crawford, a father, felt remorse for his actions and urged the sheriff to consider alternatives to police custody.

He said: “He feels extremely bad for having done what he did. In three seconds of his life he picked up a bottle, threw it away and unfortunately hit the physiotherapist. I think he learned its lesson.”