Celtic have been fined £10,000 and given a suspended 1,000-seat stadium reduction as punishment for their pitch invasion against Hearts.
In an unprecedented one-game shootout for the Scottish Premiership title, Celtic were up against a side with the backing of most football fans in the world.
Needing a goal as the game entered its final stages, Martin O’Neill magic struck again in an extremely dramatic ending in which two late goals sealed the title.
After Callum Osmand secured the win with just seconds remaining, ecstatic fans invaded the pitch in celebration… cue a hysterical reaction from Scottish Football.
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SPFL confirm Celtic sanction after Hearts and Motherwell wins
In relation to the Hearts game, the punishment was a £7,500 fine and the aforementioned 1,000-seat stadium reduction.
This will apply to the front seats at Celtic Park and is suspended for the next 12 months.
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In relation to the controversial 2-1 win over Motherwell days earlier, the club have been fined a further £2,500 for invading the pitch.
Derek McInnes’ players rapidly left the stadium as Celtic fans invaded the pitch in celebration, and claims of assault soon followed from Tynecastle voices.
Crucially, these allegations remain unverified, and despite the game widely being filmed, there is no public evidence to back the claims up.
Instead, there has been the opposite. Cammy Devlin has said that no Hearts players were hurt, in a slip-of-the-tongue that indicates that the allegations are false.
Police Scotland have also confirmed that they have received no complaints of assault from the players, despite the claims
Tony Bloom has led the claims that Hearts players were assaulted by Celtic fans, receiving no pushback when he made the claim on the radio.
Having led the race for 250 days, it’s fair to say that the defeat hit the Jambos hard. After a pitch invasion, they left the stadium still in their jerseys, without fulfilling their media duties.
Hearts then slated the referee’s decision to end the game amid the invasion only for this to backfire when VAR audio revealed that Derek McInnes had communicated a willingness, to stop the game.
Should pitch invasions be outlawed in Scotland?
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Martin O’Neill’s response to Tony Bloom
O’Neill told the media in response to Bloom’s claims: “I think I heard Tony Bloom saying that there were two players assaulted.
“It’s not true – if it is, it hasn’t been proven yet.
“I’ve watched the picture back, and I think one of their players actually snaps a phone away from a lad and stamps on it.
“What was remarkable about it was, pitch invasion or not, do you know how long took to clear the pitch invasion? Two minutes and 50 seconds.
“For someone to say, without proof at this moment, that the players had been assaulted… I think that’s irresponsible.
“If it is proved that those players had been assaulted, that’s not on. That’s an offence at the end of the day. I think if it’s the case, and it is proved that they’ve been hit, it would be more than an apology from us.”
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