Celtic’s title win sparks pitch invasion debate, O’Neill defends fans

Martin O’Neill, the interim Celtic manager, defended his club’s supporters on Monday after a pitch invasion marred the team’s dramatic Scottish Premiership title triumph on Saturday. Speaking on Jim White’s TalkSport show, O’Neill dismissed suggestions that fans who stormed the field after Celtic’s third goal against Hearts showed a lack of class.

O’Neill, a former Celtic manager who returned to the dugout this season, said the game was effectively over when the third goal was scored. He noted that referee Don Robertson had claimed to have blown the final whistle, triggering the celebrations. “It’s a home game and we’ve just won the league and the fans have come on to the field,” O’Neill said.

The victory secured the league title for Celtic in dramatic fashion, overshadowing the FA Cup final on the same day. Hearts, who had mounted an unexpected challenge for the title, came up agonisingly short after leading the standings for much of the season.

O’Neill praised his players and staff for their performance, as well as the global interest the title race generated. He joked about his first day in charge, when two Japanese players in the dressing room reportedly asked “who is this old man?” referring to the 72-year-old manager.

However, the pitch invasion cast a shadow over the victory. Video evidence suggested that several Hearts players were confronted by invading fans before being escorted from the field. O’Neill expressed indifference to the over-exuberance of a few hundred supporters, but the majority of Celtic fans present made their displeasure clear, according to witnesses.

Hearts manager Derek McInnes, who was named Scottish Football Writers’ Association Manager of the Year on Sunday, acknowledged the pain of defeat. “The team played with a real attitude to win this season, which really has been demonstrated so often,” he said. “We have to be that and a wee bit more again if we can go and try and lift silverware.”

Hearts players quickly left Celtic Park and traveled back to Edinburgh, some still in full kit and visibly heartbroken. Had it been confirmed that referee Robertson had not actually blown for full-time, they would have been ordered to return for the remaining seconds of play.

Celtic now face a Scottish Cup final, which could provide the opportunity for a hat-trick of high-profile pitch invasions at their own ground, Ibrox, and Hampden Park. The club has not commented on potential consequences for the invading fans.

Separately, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, a potential candidate for prime minister, criticised the use of VAR in football during an interview. “It’s killing spontaneity in the ground,” Burnham said. “You can’t celebrate a goal because you think someone somewhere in an industrial unit is going to rule it out. It doesn’t get decisions right, and it’s not consistent.”

Paul Taverner, in a letter to the Guardian, suggested playing songs during VAR reviews to match the infraction: Johnny Cash’s ‘I Walk the Line’ for offside, Timbaland’s ‘Hands in the Air’ for handball, or Justin Bieber’s ‘Hold Me’ for set-piece grappling. For controversial added-time decisions affecting title races, he proposed Prince’s ‘Controversy’.

Chris Richardson, in another letter, joked that Burnham should wear an Everton shirt sponsored by NEC to curry favor with Labour Party leadership.

The Football Daily email, from which this article is extracted, provides daily football updates. Letters can be sent to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is Paul Taverner.