Celtic respond to violent protests after shocking League Cup defeat at home

Celtic’s 35 consecutive cup victory run was put to a shocking halt at home, as they lost 2-0 to a depleted Ross County team in the Scottish League Cup. The Scottish fans are infamous for their passionate celebrations when victorious, and their animated fury when the team performs badly.

The defeat to an injury-plagued, 9th place team in the Premiership on the back of their cup victory streak was a very tough pill to swallow for all those passionate about the club.

This 2-0 defeat is Celtic’s fourth consecutive home defeat in all competitions for the first time since the 1950s, and fans gathered in protest of manager Neil Lennon’s place as the manager of the club.

Fans gathered in protest and eventually turned violent, throwing missiles at the vehicles of the players and the manager as they tried to exit the stadium. The violent behaviour has managed to draw away from the events on the pitch and make the protests the centre of attention.

The Hoops have had a disappointing season by their standards, the most prominent result of which is the fact that they are currently second in the league behind Old Firm rivals Rangers, trailing by 11 points with 30 from 13 games.

The club themselves have released a statement acknowledging the events on the pitch and condemning the violent protests carried out by the fans. Here is the official statement in full:

“Everyone at the Club is hugely disappointed by this afternoon’s result, one which has ended our phenomenal run of 35 consecutive cup victories. While we sincerely share the huge disappointment of all Celtic supporters, there can be no excuse for some of the violent scenes at Celtic Park this evening. The Club will be investigating these events fully. For players and a management team, who have given so much in recent years and have delivered 11 consecutive trophies, to require an escort from Celtic Park while being targeted with missiles, is simply unacceptable. While we understand that only a small number of people were involved in this behaviour, some of the actions this evening, which have obviously left our own players shaken, cannot be condoned in any way.”