Sports
Overcrowding at Celtics game injures 5
Before the match began, commotion ensued at the entrance where five were taken to the hospital after one of the arena’s walls fell apart along Janefield Street.
(File Photo: Celtic FC SLO/Twitter)
North Stand at Celtic Park, Scotland experienced a stampede on September 2 due to overcrowding, resulting in five Celtic Football Club (F.C.) fans injured.
Hundreds of people gathered at the venue as they watched their home team go and eventually win against their Glasgow rivals.
Before the match began, commotion ensued at the entrance where five were taken to the hospital after one of the arena’s walls fell apart along Janefield Street.
Fans involved in the incident shared their experiences with the media. Martin Lennon, one of the fans reported to Sky Sports, “When I got there I found myself among thousands of supporters who were blocked from using the tunnel. There was no warning, no explanation, nothing over the PA system, no details about alternative routes and only a handful of police.”
Another supporter told BBC Sport, “People couldn’t walk round the stadium anymore, so there was a bottleneck under the north stand. They kept letting people through from either side of the corridor and it became a crush, with people getting semi-trampled.”
Scotland officials ensured that they are taking all measures to avoid the circumstance from happening again. In the words of Brian Mclnulty, Chief Superintendent of Police Scotland, “We will review today’s incident and work with Celtic to ensure any learning is quickly put in place,” adding “We work closely with Celtic Football Club to ensure the safety of all fans attending matches.
We plan and practise various scenarios to ensure that if an incident occurs it will be dealt with as quickly as possible, as happened in this case.”
A Twitter post on Celtic FC SLO also announced, “Apologies to fans affected by overcrowding issue at North Stand earlier, the Club will be investigating the cause to ensure no recurrence.”
