CELTIC FANS HURT IN CRUSH
Supporters ‘forced’ to climb over fence
FOOTBALL supporters were caught up in a terrifying ‘crush’ at Celtic Park before yesterday’s Old Firm clash.
POLICING bosses have defended their strategy at yesterday’s Old Firm match which left five people injured.
A review of the incident, which led to hundreds of Celtic fans being ‘crushed’ while heading into Parkhead stadium, will be undertaken by Police Scotland and Celtic football club.
A total of five people were treated by first aiders at Janefield Street with one person, who fell from a wall bordering the street, taken to hospital.
Hundreds of supporters were said to be ‘stuck’ in the tunnel at the North Stand resulting in fans missing the opening stages of their game with premiership rivals Rangers.
Chief Superintendent Brian McInulty issued a statement shortly after the match finished stating that ‘learning’ would be put in place.
He added: “This was a dynamic situation, occurring 10 minutes before the match started. Officers and stewards reacted quickly upon realising there was an issue and put in place measures to relieve the congestion.
“This included putting in place cordons to prevent further entry at Janefield St and opening up London Road to allow fans to access the stadium from the South.
“We work closely with Celtic Football Club to ensure the safety of all fans attending matches.
“We plan and practise various scenarios to ensure that if an incident occurs it will be dealt with as quickly as possible, as happened in this case.
“We will review today’s incident and work with Celtic to ensure any learning is quickly put in place.”
The decision to prevent Rangers supporters from leaving the stadium for 15 minutes also came with criticism.
Fans were seen being restrained by officers after allegedly attempting to storm the pitch while Celtic players celebrated their 1-0 win.
Martin Lennon, Labour and Co-Op Councillor for Rutherglen Central and North, lead criticism on Twitter.
He said it was the “closest thing to a crush I’ve seen in 18 years going to Celtic Park.”
Mr Lennon added: “Absolutely chaotic scenes before kick-off. Blocked from going round LL to my seat. Confronted with these scenes at JS stand.
“Is there a reason why thousands of supporters were blocked from Celtic Park as the match kicked off?
“Chaotic scenes, no communication and hundreds of people were forced to scramble over a wall to get around the stadium.”
In a statement, Celtic Football Club said: “We are aware of the issues caused by congestion prior to kick-off.
“We are pleased that stewards and police were able to assist quickly and we thank our supporters for their patience shown while the matter was being dealt with.
“We will work closely with police to investigate and review this matter.
“The safety of our supporters will always be our priority.”
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed there had been no arrests in or around the stadium.
Hundreds of people were forced to scramble over a wall to get around the stadium