Andy Halliday has claimed that Celtic fans made their way to the Ibrox centre circle to goad Rangers supporters after the Scottish Cup penalty shoot-out win.
The former Rangers player criticised both sets of supporters labelling their actions ‘disgraceful’ after the Ibrox scenes between Celtic and Rangers fans were beamed across the globe.
However, there was a particular claim about Celtic supporters Halliday made that just had to be debunked, as the Premier Sports TV pictures show the Superscoreboard pundit has got his facts wrong.
- READ MORE: Police Scotland confirms joint investigation with SFA after ‘shameful’ Ibrox fan incidents
How can we ensure that the Glasgow derby can continue having full allocations after the latest incident?
Andy Halliday claims Celtic fans ‘baited’ Rangers supporters
As many Celtic supporters know, the travelling support went onto the field solely to celebrate with players, but not according to Halliday.
Halliday told Superscoreboard, “The part I really didn’t like you saying was when you said that you see fans spilling onto the pitch all the time when there’s jubilation.
“It’s not as if Celtic fans were just in the running track, there were fans in the centre circle and goading Rangers fans in the Main Stand.
“And there were idiotic Rangers fans who took the bait and took it too far.
“No side was worse than the other and no side was better off than the other.
“It was disgraceful scenes from both sides. A lot of the scenes were from fans who didn’t even have a ticket for the game and barged their way in.
“The scenes from Rangers fans after the game as well were nothing short of disgraceful.”
Premier Sports footage dispels Andy Halliday’s Celtic fan myth
Analysing the footage posted on Premier Sports, it’s easy to look at Halliday’s claim and debunk his fallacy.
Have a watch below:
Stewards and police lined the Ibrox six-yard box as Rangers fans charged the Copland Road end. If Celtic fans pause the footage at 00:57s, there is not a single Celtic supporter anywhere near the centre circle as a Rangers supporter attacked a Hoops coach.
What makes Halliday’s claim even more strange is that he was on BBC pundit duty and was at the game as an analyst.
Again, at 02:22, not a single Celtic supporter was outside the 18-yard penalty box as Rangers fans prowled looking for violence.
Will Halliday now retract his claim he made so publicly?
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