Petrie shifts stance and condemns Cup chaos
UNDER-FIRE Hibs chairman Rod Petrie last night condemned the violent scenes at Hampden which marred his club’s first Scottish Cup triumph since 1902.
Petrie had been roundly criticised after he initially described the post-match pitch invasion by thousands of Hibs supporters following their team’s 3-2 victory over Rangers as ‘114 years of exuberance’.
Fans had streamed on to the park at the final whistle, with some pulling down the goalposts and others digging up turf for souvenirs.
But a live television audience watched in disbelief as Hibs fans goaded their Rangers counterparts at the other end of the stadium and fighting broke out on the pitch between rival sets of fans.
Both teams were still trying to make their way off the pitch as the chaos ensued, and the Ibrox club claimed a number of their staff and players were assaulted, with shocking images showing a number of Rangers players being apparently confronted by fans.
Following Petrie’s initial comments, Rangers issued a blistering statement on Sunday night expressing fury at what they saw as a lack of official condemnation of the Hibernian fans’ behaviour, and accusing ‘biased’ SFA vice-president Petrie of ‘playing down’ the ‘mayhem and violence’.
Yesterday, as the SFA announced it is setting up an Independent Commission to probe Saturday’s disorder, the Edinburgh club released a statement apologising for the shameful scenes.
However, they also called for the commission to be given the freedom to reach a verdict ‘without fear of favour’.
Petrie (below) attempted to strike a more conciliatory tone 48 hours on from the chaos, in contrast to the ill-received ‘apology’ he gave in the wake of the game.
He said: ‘It is now clear from various sources that supporters being on the pitch at the end of the match led to acts of violence and disorder.
‘I condemn and the club condemns all of the violence and unacceptable conduct perpetrated on the pitch and elsewhere.
‘There is absolutely no place for it in the game of football.
‘Hibernian will do all that it can to support the criminal investigations to ensure those who have transgressed face the consequences of their actions.’
Hibs welcomed the news of an Independent Commission and pledged their full support to help ensure Saturday’s ugly episode is never repeated.
The Championship outfit also vowed to crack down hard on any supporter found guilty of ‘unacceptable behaviour’, including the alleged attacks on Rangers players and staff.
In a statement, the club said: ‘The Independent Commission is to look into all aspects of the staging and management of the final. That is right and proper. Everyone involved will want to know what lessons can be learned.
‘Hibernian FC will co-operate fully with the Independent Commission in every way it can and the Commission must be allowed to run its course and reach its own conclusions without fear or favour.
‘Hibernian FC today reiterated that the club is sorry that a number of Hibernian supporters invaded the pitch. Whilst emotions were running high, the club cannot condone supporters coming onto the field of play.
‘The club will co-operate fully with all of the relevant authorities to identify supporters involved in behaviour which tarnishes the good name of Hibernian FC.
‘In particular, the club will do everything in its power to bring to book any Hibernian supporters found to have been involved in the most serious allegations of assault — including assaults on the staff or players of Rangers FC.
‘The club will take the strongest possible sanctions against any supporters involved in criminal activity or unacceptable behaviour.’
Meanwhile, UEFA last night threw responsibility for the Scottish Cup Final aftermath right back at the SFA, insisting they have no powers to intervene on Europa League qualification.
As some Rangers fans petitioned for Hibs to be denied Europa League entry as punishment for their supporters’ misbehaviour, a UEFA spokesman insisted they would not be intervening. He told Sportsmail: ‘That’s the jurisdiction of the SFA, not UEFA. It is always the national FA or league who issues the licence to compete in UEFA competitions, so we have no power to intervene on that.’ Police Scotland have established a dedicated team to investigate the mayhem.