Exclusive: Celtic sanctions ‘certain’ after incidents as title won at Dundee Utd

Celtic will definitely be punished after their Scottish Premiership title-winning victory at Tannadice, according to Keith Hackett.

The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that whilst he had sympathy with the Hoops’ fans, there were more effective ways of protesting ticket pricing upset for the key fixture.

With the Premiership title just a win away, Celtic dismantled Dundee United 5-0 to claim their fourth SPFL crown in a row.

Following a slow start, Ryan Strain turned the ball into his own net to give the Hoops the lead, before Newcastle target Nicolas Kuhn scored twice to make it 3-0 to the visitors.

Just after half-time, Arsenal-linked Adam Idah, brought on as a substitute for the injured Jota, made it four with a tidy finish before scoring his second and Celtic’s fifth to guarantee all three points.

However, before the goals started flying in, travelling Hoops fans made their voices heard by hurling hundreds of tangerines onto the field of play, after their opponents nickname.

Celtic fans protest ticket prices by throwing Tangerines onto pitch

12 minutes into the action, referee Don Robertson was forced to bring play to a halt, with Celtic’s penalty area littered with the missiles.

Players and staff alike were quick to take action, clearing the fruit from the field of play as best they could in order to restart the match.

Celtic fans revealed a banner, which read “Enjoy the fruits of our labour”.

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, the travelling fans were protesting the cost of tickets, with some Hoops fans paying as much as £43 for a ticket, whilst United fans were charged as little as £10 for entry.

Following the break in play, action resumed uninterrupted until once again Celtic fans interrupted play in the second half, this time with a collection of footballs being thrown onto the pitch.

Keith Hackett sympathises with Celtic protests

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the incident, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett revealed that a fine for Celtic was a “certainty”, and whilst he sympathised with the protest, the ex-FIFA referee believed there was a better way to take action, saying:

“Any action that delays proceedings creates a timing issue for the broadcasters, and in particular, if the game is broadcast across the world.

“Schedules overseas are much tighter where they do not operate with pre and post-match reviews with a team of pundits.

“It is usually an opening and closing one-minute prepared film.

“The Scottish FA will no doubt write to the club and seek clarification on security preparations and the club’s observations.

“They will then no doubt take action, and the clubs can expect sanctions in the form of fines. They will simply not ignore the matter.

“There is really no justification to interrupt the game to make any form of protest.

“The exploitation of ticket prices in this way is unacceptable, and I hope that the appointment of a football regulator will put an end to this practice.

“The real protest that would have had a greater impact would be for the fans to stay away in protest.

“Fines are a certainty.”