Celtic have issued an apology to Hearts for the pitch invasion that followed their Scottish Premiership title decider.
The Glasgow club successfully secured another domestic crown as a 3-1 victory at Celtic Park denied Hearts after a dramatic title race settled on the final day.
The moment was marred, though, as hundreds of Celtic fans streamed on to the playing surface when Callum Osmand netted in the eighth minute of stoppage-time to put the Hoops 3-1 ahead and effectively seal the championship.
Several ran towards Hearts players and the Edinburgh club noted “deeply disturbing reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere” in a statement released on Saturday evening.
The match did not restart after that point, and the SPFL subsequently confirmed that the game had ended before the “unacceptable” behaviour of the home supporters.
Police Scotland have vowed to take “robust and swift action” against anybody found to have committed criminality, and Celtic have said they will co-operate fully with the investigation.
“The club regrets that our victory over Hearts was followed by a number of individuals entering the field of play,” Celtic said in a statement. “We again emphasise that there is no justification for this behaviour which, for the vast majority of Celtic supporters, only detracts from the joy of such occasions.
“Celtic will co-operate fully with any investigation and with the SPFL in their own processes.
“We also apologise to Hearts for the situation encountered by their players and staff at the conclusion of the game, and for the fact that these events prevented them from saluting their own supporters at the end of an enthralling campaign, to which they have contributed so much.”
