Celtic’s title party lambasted by MSPs as £34,000 clean up cost noted

Following Saturday’s Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park, supporters of the team gathered in the

Trongate area of the city center for an unofficial

Celtic title party, which drew

harsh criticism from an MSP for Glasgow Shettleston.

Thousands of supporters gathered to Glasgow Cross to celebrate Celtic’s league championship victory, which was

secured at Rugby Park three days earlier and culminated in a 3-2 home victory

earlier on Saturday afternoon. The event was promoted ahead of time by

unofficial fan clubs like The Green Brigade.

As MSP John Mason mentioned in his address

to the Scottish Parliament, it has

since been alleged that four police officers were injured during the

celebration, with a reported 19 people having been arrested.

 

“It is unacceptable that a major road junction in Glasgow is completely blocked,” said Mason. “The Tron theatre

had to cancel its performances that evening… I myself walked in the area at

6.30pm on Saturday. [There were] people urinating in the pens, the closes and

residents [were] afraid to leave their homes.”

 

Siobhian Brown, the Scottish Government’s minister for victims and

community safety, replied in agreement with Mason, saying that while the total

cost of Saturday’s activity was still unclear, the clean up process following a

similar gathering last year is thought to have cost around £34,000.

 

Mason added: “Looking ahead to the future, would [Brown] agree that clubs

need to take more responsibility for their fans, perhaps organising fan zones, and

perhaps strict liability including partial stadium

closures, points deductions and

fines as happens in Europe should be considered.

In response, Brown said, “We will keep working with Police Scotland, the

footballing authorities, and fan groups to solve issues and make sure football

matches are enjoyable for everyone both during and after the game.

“Strict liability has never been ruled out as a possibility for football-related incidents at stadiums, but our preferred

course of action has always been for the footballing authorities to take the

initiative and develop a strong and significant response to address any

inappropriate behavior by what is a minority of

supporters. “I understand

that Glasgow City Council has had discussions with football clubs to discuss

organised celebrations, and I fully encourage such dialogue between

football clubs and local authorities about conducting safe events for their fans

which minimise the impact on the community.”