Celtic Park pitch invasion: Martin O’Neill says Hearts’ declare scenes “embarrassed Scottish football” are “nonsense”

Martin O’Neill has hit again at criticism over the scenes at Celtic Park following the membership’s Scottish Premiership title win on Saturday.

Moments after Callum Osmand’s aim sealed high spot for Celtic, a variety of residence followers ran on to the pitch to have a good time.

The Tynecastle Park membership mentioned their gamers and workers reported “serious physical and verbal abuse” throughout scenes and afterwards, describing them as “unacceptable” and “disgraceful”.

Celtic did apologise to Hearts for the incident, including they’d “co-operate fully with any investigation”.

Nevertheless, when requested if these scenes had tainted the picture of the sport in Scotland, O’Neill hit again.

“I’m sorry, I totally disagree with that,” he informed talkSPORT. “I do not know concerning the confrontations by way of the Hearts gamers, and there is a number of hyperbole about that. Let’s discover out the true image.

“The fact is that when we scored the third goal, the game was essentially over. The referee has claimed that he had blown the final whistle at the end. And then there’s obvious excitement, we have scored to win the league.”

Hearts’ ’embarrassed’ claims are ‘nonsense’

Hearts gamers have been ushered down the tunnel by membership officers and pictured leaving the bottom nonetheless carrying their match kits, with the Tynecastle Park membership saying in a strongly worded assertion that “the safety of our staff was our prime focus”.

The Jambos added that the aftermath of that third aim had “embarrassed Scottish football”. Nevertheless, O’Neill disagreed.

“Well, I don’t believe that, I just don’t believe it, I think it’s nonsense,” he responded to that assertion.

“I assumed that the final whistle had gone at exactly the same moment that we put the ball in the net for the third goal. It’s a home game and we’d just won the league, and the fans have come onto the field, alright? Okay, so they should stay put then?”

Whereas Celtic added of their assertion that there was “no justification for this behaviour”, when O’Neill was requested if followers ought to have come on the pitch, he once more refused to name out the membership’s supporters by including: “Well, start telling that to every single football club.”

Police Scotland are investigating the post-match scenes along with the 2 golf equipment, whereas the Scottish Skilled Soccer League mentioned that “supporters entering the field of play in any circumstances is wholly unacceptable”.

May pitch invasions be criminalised?

Sky Sports activities Information understands the SPFL are set to carry discussions with the Scottish Authorities over criminalising pitch invasions, as has been the case in England and Wales since 1991. They’re additionally eager to debate tailgating turning into a felony offence, which just lately turned the case in England.

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney mentioned that such a transfer would solely be thought-about alongside a session on the reform of soccer banning orders, which closed earlier than the election.

“The Government will engage with the football clubs, with the football authorities and with the local authorities to take what steps we can take to avoid this happening, and if there are further legislative steps that we’ve got to consider to make sure that these issues are addressed, then we will do that,” he mentioned.

Swinney, who was essential of these followers who threw missiles at cops throughout celebrations in Glasgow metropolis centre – scenes which resulted in a variety of arrests, added: “We’ve got a job of work to do, working with the football clubs, and the SPFL, and with the City Council to avoid this situation ever happening again. And I commit the Government to engaging in that process.

“However essentially, on the coronary heart of this, is the unacceptable behaviour of the minority of followers and that must be addressed.”