Alex Salmond, the first minister of Scotland, said he would convene a summit next week into the "shameful" incidents at Parkhead in Glasgow, which were condemned as "disgraceful and inflammatory" by Stewart Regan, chief executive of the Scottish Football Association.

The bitterly fought Scottish Cup replay, won 1-0 by Celtic, ended in extraordinary scenes after Ally McCoist, Rangers' assistant manager, and Celtic manager Neil Lennon clashed outside the tunnel.

Their confrontation was sparked off by a dispute between the two men over the conduct of Rangers striker El-Hadji Diouf, who became the third Rangers player sent off during the ill-tempered tie.

There were several touchline incidents and a total of 13 yellow cards, chiefly involving Rangers players. The clashes followed warnings from Strathclyde police and the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank and file officers, about the upsurge in sectarian violence, drink-related offences and domestic abuse which frequently follows Old Firm games.

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