Following a chaotic pitch invasion at Celtic Park, Celtic FC has issued a formal apology to Heart of Midlothian FC.
The club officially apologised to Hearts players and staff for the situation they encountered and expressed regret that the incident prevented Hearts from thanking their own travelling supporters.
The club stated that there is “no justification” for the actions of individuals who encroached onto the field during their title-clinching victory.
Celtic emphasised that entering the field of play only detracts from the joy of the title victory for the vast majority of fans pledging to cooperate fully with all upcoming footballing and legal investigations, including those by the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and Police Scotland.
The pitch invasion occurred during the dramatic finale of the William Hill Premiership. After Callum Osmand scored an eighth-minute stoppage-time goal to put Celtic up 3-1 and mathematically seal their 56th league title, thousands of home fans flooded the pitch before the stadium operations could clear the area.
Hearts released a scathing statement condemning the “shameful” and “menacing” atmosphere, alleging that their players and staff faced serious physical and verbal abuse.
The safety threat forced the entire Hearts squad to abandon post-match media duties and immediately leave the stadium.
While Celtic’s statement focused on the stadium breach, it did not address the subsequent large-scale fan disorder in Glasgow’s Trongate area.
Following the match, Police Scotland reported that two officers were seriously injured after being attacked with glass bottles and missiles while responding to a medical emergency.
Senior police officials have publicly criticised Celtic FC, demanding the club be “more accountable” and taking issue with their failure to organise official, controlled fan zones despite months of safety talks.
Editor’s Note: Featured photo is courtesy of Celtic FC Fans – Scotland.
