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Title chaos at Celtic Park
Celtic clinched the Scottish Premiership title with a 3-1 win over Hearts at Celtic Park on the final day of the season, but the match ended in chaos after a pitch invasion before the referee could officially signal the end of the match.
“Reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere”
Hearts said it was investigating reports of "serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere" and said it was "completely unacceptable that our players and staff were put in that situation."
Hearts players and coaching staff were escorted down the tunnel as the Hearts contingent found itself trapped in a "menacing" environment, and the club said it was unable to fulfil post-match media obligations.
Sky News reported that VAR drama and the pitch invasion led to devastated Hearts players having to be escorted down the tunnel to safety, while Celtic captain Callum McGregor told Sky Sports he was "speechless."
Police pelted in Trongate
After the pitch invasion at Celtic Park, disorder spilled into Glasgow’s city centre, with riot police deployed in the Merchant City and Trongate areas after officers were pelted with bottles and other projectiles while responding to a "medical emergency."
The Merchant City and Trongate Community Council (MTCC) said it "condemns in the strongest terms the behaviour of Celtic fans" and described the episode as the fifth year in succession that residents witnessed "serious civil disorder."
Police Scotland said officers went into the crowd to assist with a medical emergency and were faced with "significant levels of hostility, with bottles and other missiles thrown at them," and urged the public to leave for public safety reasons.
In the same account, Hearts reiterated that "Given the menacing and threatening atmosphere inside the stadium, our entire staff had no alternative but to leave immediately" without post-match media duties.
Aftermath and possible sanctions
Hearts demanded sanctions beyond a simple fine, saying the integrity of the league had been called into question after reports that the Hearts squad had been physically targeted during the melee at Celtic Park.
“We expect the strongest action possible to be taken by the footballing authorities”
Football Insider reported that PGMOL expert Keith Hackett urged the Scottish FA to launch an investigation into the scenes, saying Celtic could be hit by a potential points deduction, especially given that the Hoops are no strangers to pitch invasions.
The Daily Record and Glasgow Live both described Police Scotland making arrests during the Trongate disturbances, with the force asking members of the public to leave the area for public safety reasons.
As Celtic celebrated their fifth successive title, Hearts said it expected the "strongest action possible" from the footballing authorities to protect the safety of players and supporters and the integrity of the game.
