The Five Demands

L’aggressione senza conseguenza al 49° minuto del match Celtic FC – Hearts, finito con un 3-0 al Tynecastle Stadium

Tynecastel Stadium, Edimburgo, 49° minuto, secondo goal dei 3 segnati dal Celtic FC contro l’Hearts, nel match della Scotland Premier League in calendario mercoledì 11 maggio.
Un tifoso saltato giù dal settore dell’Hearts, ha corso lungo la linea laterale del campo da gioco e si è gettato su Neil Lennon, allenatore del Celtic. Solo un grande spavento, grazie all’intervento della sicurezza che ha gettato a terra e ammanettato il giovane prima che la situazione degenerasse. Lennon è apparso stordito, ma illeso.
Altri disordini si sono ripetuti durante la partita. “Lothian and Borders Police indagherà a fondo su tutti gli incidenti che si sono verificati in occasione della partita di questa sera e lavorerà a stretto contatto con entrambe le squadre di calcio e la SP”, ha dichiarato un portavoce della polizia.
Stewart Regan, capo esecutivo della Scottish Football Association,  ha dichiarato: “Questo tipo di comportamento da parte dei sostenitori è chiaramente e totalmente inaccettabile”.
“La sicurezza dei giocatori, dei funzionari delle squadre e degli ufficiali di gara è di fondamentale importanza in prossimità o sul campo di gioco, e questa chiara violazione della sicurezza è una questione che sarà discussa domani con il capo esecutivo della SPL, Neil Doncaster.”
E’ intervenuto anche il Primo Ministro Alex Salmond, ”
“Il Joint Action Group, istituito dopo il recente vertice calcistico, sta sviluppando un piano di otto punti da presentare ai ministri prima dell’inizio della nuova stagione, e affronta tutte le questioni legate alla violenza e al fanatismo in relazione al calcio, perché non possiamo garantire sicurezza per le persone al centro di episodi senza cervello, e vedere il nostro gioco nazionale appannato”.
L’Hearts si è detto disponibile a collaborare.
Dallo scorso marzo, Neill Lennon è sottosto a stretta sorveglianza 24h/24h, ovvero da quando venne intercettato il primo dei pacchetti contenente proiettili a lui indirizzati.

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Celtic manager Neil Lennon hit by fan (BBC News NI)
A man has been arrested in connection with an attack on Celtic manager Neil Lennon during the second half of his team’s game against Hearts.
The fan clambered from the Hearts section of the main stand at Tynecastle in Edinburgh after Celtic’s second goal and made for Lennon on the touchline.
He connected with Lennon before being bundled to the ground and arrested.
Earlier this season parcel bombs addressed to Lennon, his lawyer and a politician were intercepted by police.
Celtic won Wednesday night’s game 3-0 to ensure the Scottish Premier League title race goes to the final day.
The incident occurred after their second goal, in the 49th minute.
A supporter ran along the touchline towards Lennon and made contact with the Celtic manager before being pushed to the ground by police and stewards, handcuffed and bundled out of the stadium.
Trouble then broke out in the Celtic section of the ground between fans and police.
The Celtic manager looked stunned after the attack but was uninjured.
Lothian and Borders Police said a man had been reported to the procurator fiscal and would appear in court in connection with the incident.
A police spokesman said: “A number of incidents took place during this match including some violent disorder.
“Lothian and Borders Police will fully investigate all of the incidents that occurred at the match this evening and will work closely with both football clubs and the SPL.”
Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan issued a statement, saying: “Clearly this kind of behaviour from supporters is wholly unacceptable.
“The safety of players, club officials and match officials is paramount on or around the field of play, and this clear breach of security is a matter I will be discussing with SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster tomorrow.”
Mr Doncaster said he was “shocked and appalled” by the incident.
He said the incident would be investigated thoroughly.
First Minister Alex Salmond said: “This sort of behaviour is utterly unacceptable.
“The Joint Action Group formed after the recent football summit is developing the eight-point plan to present to ministers before the start of the new season to tackle all issues of violence and bigotry in relation to football, because we cannot have the safety of individuals endangered by such mindless incidents, and our national game tarnished.”
Hearts vowed to give its full co-operation to the authorities during the investigation into the incident.
A club statement said: “An investigation into events which took place in the second half of tonight’s game against Celtic is now under way.
“Hearts is a club which prides itself on its ‘football for all’ polic and these sorts of actions have no place in the game of football.”
Former Northern Ireland player Lennon has been in the headlines regularly this season.
In January a package addressed to him containing bullets was intercepted at a sorting office in Country Antrim.
In March, the club confirmed Lennon was under 24-hour security surveillance after a suspicious package was intercepted at a Royal Mail sorting office in Saltcoats, Ayrshire.
On 19 April it emerged that Royal Mail intercepted a total of two “viable” parcel bombs addressed to Lennon.