Celtic chairman Brian Wilson defends Hoops fans over Ibrox chaos as he hits out at cops over 'false narrative'

BRIAN WILSON has defended Celtic fans over the chaos that unfolded at Ibrox on Sunday.

The interim chairman insists the away fans were only celebrating the dramatic penalty shootout victory when they spilled onto the pitch at Ibrox following Tomas Cvancara’s winner.

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Hundreds of Celtic and Rangers fans invaded the pitch and several were left injured as both sets of supporters targeted each other with missiles, including fireworks.

Wilson also hit back at Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell after she blasted both clubs for remaining silent on the violence that unfolded.

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.

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“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.

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“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.”

Celtic fans complained about police measures after they were funnelled between police vans and entered the ground one-by-one through metal barriers.

Some fans rushed the gates after being held up by cops and Wilson has revealed supporters’ groups have raised concerns.

He said: “That will be part of this inquiry by the SFA, and I welcome that.

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“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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