The trial of a corporate Ibrox fan has thrown up interesting information about security arrangements at Ibrox for the visit of Celtic last April.
CCTV was able to identify the person accused of striking Celtic physio Daniel Friel with a bottle at the away dug-out but at almost the same time the CCTV covering the Copland Road Stand failed to identify how glass appeared in the goalmouth to be defended by Joe Hart during the second half.
Despite extensive policing and stewarding no-one noticed the glass finding its way into the penalty box, when Hart noticed the glass referee Willie Collum held the restart up by five minutes to clear the penalty area of glass.
The Ibrox ground staff were recalled to clear the broken glass from the pitch, earlier they had been forking the pitch and replacing divots.
Covering the trial of the fan accused of attacking Friel, The Sun reports:
The physio had suffered a four centimetre wound to his scalp which required four stitches.
Miss Gilmour added: “This will leave a permanent scar on his scalp.”
Police meantime were alerted to a disturbance at the Celtic dugout and noted small spots of blood on the ground.
CCTV was later reviewed which showed Mr Friel being struck by the bottle.
Crawford was also seen leaving the stairwell before going out of view.
Police stated that he was in “corporate ticket seats.”
They also had reason to believe that Crawford was affiliated to the Grangemouth Rangers Supporters Club.
Police attended his home five days after the match and identified Crawford as being responsible.
He was arrested and searched where his season ticket was uncovered.
Miss Gilmour said: “It was confirmed that this was the seat he was sat in at the time of the offence.”
Harvie Diamond, defending, told the court that his bail conditions include not attending Ibrox Stadium or any football game.
The lawyer added: “He accepts it is a serious offence. He doesn’t have anything analogous on his record. He is married with two children.”
Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month by Sheriff Tony Kelly.
Covering the Celtic AGM in November discussing the glass in the penalty box, The Sun reported:
The Hoops recorded a massive 2-1 in that day but asked at the club’s AGM today how the glass ended up in Hart’s goalmouth, Hoops CEO Michael Nicholson said: “I don’t know. I didn’t receive any update on how that got on the pitch.
“We were told there was no CCTV. It’s a poor show but we’ll discuss that with the club in question privately and appropriately.”
Does Michael Nicholson give a monkeys? No, I don’t think so!
Does the board have the player’s supporters and celtics foundations principles and ethos at heart?
No they do not only money profits and margins and dividends.
Do you trust dermot (abbot) desmond and peter(costello) lawwell or tweedle dumb and tweedle dee or the spineless cowards jellyfish rats our custodians lol òr do they have the best interests at heart with the players supporters and our hereditary traditions and morals not a chance.
Celtic supporters protested hounded the previous board eventually got rid of the Kelly’s and White’s that stole the supporters money.
These 2 no backbone spine or morals never stand up for the club its supporters and getting rid of all mediaand hun journalists from parkhead and especially sfa spfl media police there so blatant that it all goes back to the 5 way agreement resolution 12 where they sold there souls to the devil huns.
They couldn’t lay a pinkie on what Celtic meant to Fergus Mccann.
All board members and everyone down from them are cowards spineless and traitors to a cause a way life.
Silly question I know, but did the SFA [or SPFL?] punish sevco in any way
for either the physio injury or the goalmouth glass incident?
If the SFA was waiting for the criminal case to be concluded,
then they can punish sevco now that their corporate fan has pled guilty.
Would be nice to hear an update from our own club about this…
Edit: Not a word said after 24 hours, led by Nicholson we have to move on for the good of Scottish football.
Well we all know for a fact that they scum at cheating liebrox will not be punished in anyway fuck look back to 2012 the sfa fined oldco rfc £250.000 for cheating for years and still never removed there cheating titles our cups im surprised the celtic fans let all this go without protesting outside corrupt hampden sfa.spfl our board are a fucking disgrace and should be removed especially that corrupt bastard p.lawwell who denied he never seen the 5way agreement this rat was first to sign it our board dont give a fuck for us fans just our money dirty Tory bastards at paradise..
Groundsmen forking the grass and replacing divots earlier – is divot another name for broken glass? Most mysterious. Maybe glass just materialises!
The SMSM, police Scotland, the SFA/SPFL, hid behind the excuse of an ongoing investigation, the ongoing investigation is no longer…I await the next excuse to do NOTHING