CELTIC interim chairman Brian Wilson has replied to observations from Scotland’s top cop as he launched a defence of the club’s fans following the mayhem at the conclusion of the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday.
Tomas Cvancara tucked the fourth and winning penalty-kick past Jack Butland to seal a last-four meeting with St Mirren next month – and, at the same time, spark unruly scenes with fans involved in shocking scenes on the pitch.
Earlier this week, Chief Constable Jo Farrell criticised both clubs for remaining silent on the sorry episode that saw the encounter tagged ‘Shame Game’.
Last night, the home club did have something to say when they promised to weed out the hooligans who wreaked havoc and they also condemned those who mocked the 1971 Ibrox Disaster when 66 fans died after a stairway collapsed.
BEFORE THE BEDLAM…Celtic fans enjoy a ticker-tape reception pre-kick off at Ibrox.
Wilson has now replied and has refused to criticise his club’s followers who spilled onto the pitch following the winning penalty-kick after a two-hour goalless confrontation.
The stand-in club chief, in an eight-minute interview with Celtic TV, said: “My response very much is that I was disappointed by the comments of the Chief Constable because Celtic work very closely with Police Scotland.
“We respect the role of the Safety Advisory Group and when there is evidence of unacceptable behaviours we act against both individuals and groups and all of that is well on the record.
“I think that measuring responses by condemnatory statements isn’t really very accurate. If this could be resolved by statements of condemnation, it would have been resolved decades ago.
“Really, it is actions that matter and the way we, as a club, handle these experiences and the way others handle these experiences.
“I think if you are going to ask for condemnation you have to be more specific and there are certainly things which I would happily condemn and regret but probably the highest profile aspect of this was after the penalty went in and Celtic had won.
CELEBRATIONS…Julian Araujo displays his delight in front of the Celtic fans after Tomas Cvancara’s winning penalty-kick.
“What you had there was a euphoric response from our supporters. It’s not uncommon. In fact, it’s happened on quite numerous occasions this season alone in Scottish football where you have an overspill onto the pitch and that in itself does not normally draw expressions of condemnation.
“Therefore, what I would say about that is that I welcome SFA’s intention to have a full enquiry so let’s look at the evidence.
“If there is evidence of violence or threats of violence, then of course I will condemn that but let’s look at the evidence before we create a false narrative.”
Wilson revealed he met with supporters’ groups who raised concerns over the bottleneck operation that saw visiting fans funnelled through tight police checks.
He continued: “Again, that will be part of this enquiry by the SFA and again, I welcome that. We met this week with the Celtic Supporters Association, a well-established, well-respected organisation which doesn’t raise issues lightly, and they had real concerns about the access to the Broomloan Stand and the departure from previous procedures, which they believed had worked well and a genuine concern about the safety of supporters.
“Again, we didn’t rush out a statement on that because we think the way to address that is through discussion with the authorities, again, an evidence-based approach leading to conclusions about what did go right and what did go wrong and lessons to be learned.
ON GUARD…police line up across the Ibrox pitch as the scoreboard shows the outcome of the penalty-kick shoot-out: RANGERS 2 CELTIC 4.
“We take that very seriously and I can assure you that there were people with a lot of experience of attending these games who had genuine concerns for the safety of supporters.
Wilson also took the opportunity to offer an update on the situation concerning the banned Green Brigade.
He added: “On 24 February Celtic proactively arranged a meeting with Glasgow City Council’s Safety Advisory Group, to advocate for the group’s re-entry to Celtic Park in time for this weekend’s match against Motherwell.
“At that meeting, the Club was informed by the SAG that a number of concerns remained that required to be addressed in order to create a pathway for re-entry, relating in particular to acceptance of supporter terms and conditions, and the stewarding and safety operation within the section.
“Club representatives again met Green Brigade representatives this week, outlining the proposals required to address concerns highlighted by the SAG and recommending their acceptance.
“In short, the expectation is that the Green Brigade demonstrates a willingness to co-operate with safety and security requirements, as required by Police Scotland and the SAG.
“That would allow the Club to advocate re-entry of the group to Celtic Park, through further liaison with the Council’s Safety Advisory Group.
“We have communicated the SAG’s requirements to the Green Brigade and await a response.”
Celtic are due to play Motherwell in another Premierip encounter at Parkhead tomorrow with a 3pm kick-off.
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