Celtic chairman Brian Wilson defends fans over Old Firm clashes
Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson has defended supporters following the violence that followed Sunday's Old Firm match.
In an interview on Thursday night, Wilson said fans should not be condemned for celebrating their victory on penalties at Ibrox.
Supporters from both teams entered the pitch with clashes taking place.
Wilson also hit back at chief constable Jo Farrell who questioned the silence from both sides in the days following the incident.
Speaking to Celtic TV, Wilson said: “It is unfortunate that the events after the game have to some extent detracted or overshadowed the actual result.
“I was frankly disappointed by the chief constable’s comments, as she presumably knows we work closely with Police Scotland.
“We respect the role of the safety advisory group and when there is evidence of unacceptable behaviours, we act against both individuals and groups.
“All of that is on the record.
“Measuring responses by condemnatory statements isn’t really accurate.
“If this could be resolved by statements of condemnation, it would have been resolved decades ago. It’s actions that matter and the way we handle these experiences as a club and the way others handle these experiences.
“If you’re going to be asking for condemnation, you have to be more specific and I would happily condemn and regret.
“But the highest profile aspect of this (the chaos) was after the penalties and Celtic had won.
“What you had there was a euphoric response from our supporters. It is not uncommon. It has happened on numerous occasions this season alone in Scottish football where you have an overspill onto the pitch.
“That in itself does not usually draw expressions of condemnation. What I would say is that I welcome the SFA’s intention to have a full inquiry.
“Let’s look at the evidence. If there’s evidence of violence, if there’s evidence of threats of violence, then of course I will condemn that – but let’s look at the evidence before we create maybe a false narrative.”
Wilson also revealed concerns were raised by supporters’ groups about the access to Ibrox Stadium.
Some fans were filmed entering through a fire exit and evading security to make their way into the ground.
He said: “That will be part of this inquiry by the SFA, and I welcome that.
“We met this week with the Celtic Supporters Association, a well-established, well-respected organisation which doesn’t raise issues lightly.
“They had real concerns about the access to the Broomloan Stand – a departure from previous procedures which they believed had worked well.
“They had a genuine concern about supporter safety.
“We didn’t rush out a statement on that because we think the way to address that is through discussion with the authorities and an evidence based approach.
“We take that very seriously and I can assure you that people with a lot of experience attending these games had genuine concerns.”
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