Hibs hand out life bans after cup final trouble

Hibernian have confirmed they have issued sanctions including life bans to supporters identified as being involved in the crowd trouble which marred the Scottish Cup final.

Thousands of the Leith outfit's fans poured on to the Hampden pitch as they ended their 114-year wait for the trophy with last week's 3-2 win over Rangers.

But the scenes turned ugly when several Rangers players, including captain Lee Wallace, were targeted with assaults, while fights also broke out after a section of the Ibrox support also managed to break through the security cordons.

The Easter Road side say the punishments imposed on "a number of fans" include life bans and indefinite bans.

The Scottish Football Association plan to set up an independent commission to examine the security measures which broke down at the National Stadium a week last Saturday, while Police Scotland have launched a criminal investigation.

In a statement, Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster said: "While Police Scotland will continue with their own inquiries, we will continue to review what happened and take the action we think appropriate to protect the club's good name.

"We will also co-operate fully with the Independent Commission established by the SFA.

"We have initiated contact with the supporters informing them of our decision. We will continue to identify and impose appropriate sanctions against others involved in unacceptable behaviour."

Hibs have refused to confirm at this point how many supporters have been issued with sanctions but a spokesman said an update would be given once the club's investigations were complete.