Charlie Adam was one of the few voices in Scottish football willing to speak with some balance after the scenes at Celtic Park.
While there is no defending the pitch invasion, the former Scotland international also understood the reality of what happens when a club wins another league title in dramatic fashion.
Celtic’s 3-1 win over Hearts sealed another Premiership crown before supporters flooded onto the pitch late on. The reaction afterwards quickly became dominated by outrage, but Adam argued there was no realistic way for officials to regain control and restart the match.
Celtic’s official statement on the pitch invasion was far more measured than Hearts.
No hysteria, just balance. Thoughts on this 👇
Charlie Adam defended the reality of the Celtic pitch invasion row
It’s a bad day when Celtic fans agree with Adam twice in one day but here, the former Rangers man absolutely nails the reality behind the Parkhead pitch invasion.
Speaking on No Tippy Tappy Football, Adam said: “Well, you’re never going to stop it.
“No, but what they’re trying to say is that, again, the referee, obviously the goal went in, people spilled onto the pitch. You know, what you expect to do, the 3-1, you know, the 3-1, the game’s sort of done. What improvement would the referee have?
“What problems would the referee cause if he comes back out, brought the players back out and they spelled back onto the pitch? The decision was there to be made. The game was done.
“Of course, there’s excited Celtic fans. I think the scenes are a little bit different to what they were in the Scottish Cup between Rangers and Celtic in terms of that. “I thought they could have protected that a little bit better, the police, but they’ve just won another title.
“Everybody shot them down for weeks. Nah, not good enough. Hearts are coming.
“Coming from behind, which is not what they normally do.
“It’s not what they normally do. They’ve dominated for so long in Scottish football. There’s obviously going to be, of course, there’s a few incidents within that and it’s unacceptable, but.
“There is a minority and that’s the problem, but you’ve got to enjoy these moments.”
Adam’s point about the referee was difficult to argue against. The SPFL later confirmed the match had been completed, making any attempt to restart proceedings largely pointless.
Adam still acknowledged where Celtic lines were crossed
The important part of Adam’s comments is that he did not pretend every incident was acceptable. He openly admitted there were problems involving “a minority” and also suggested security and policing could have been handled better.
Hearts later alleged serious abuse towards players and staff, while Police Scotland launched investigations into reported incidents.
Still, Adam’s broader point remains valid. Celtic had just secured another title after weeks of noise around their performances and mentality.
The scenes were emotional, chaotic and imperfect, but they were never surprising.
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