Celtic’s 56th title celebration ended in scenes of violence, with Hearts players being attacked by fans who invaded the pitch. Norwegian midfielder Christian Borchgrevink, who was on the bench, described what happened as “complete chaos”.
Key details
The Scottish Championship’s decisive game descended into chaos as Celtic fans stormed the pitch after their team’s third stoppage-time goal sealed victory over Hearts. Several players from the visiting team were confronted by home fans, with the club later reporting “reports of serious physical and verbal attacks on our players and coaching staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere.”
Hearts midfielder Christian Borchgrevink was the first player to give a first-person account of the events. “It was complete chaos,” said the Norwegian, who was not used in the match. «Before we had time to compose ourselves, we saw that some of our main players were being surrounded. It was difficult to assimilate everything that was happening…»
The player described the panic that set in and the reaction of the reserves. «People started to get worried. I was on the bench and we ran onto the field to protect the others. In the end, everyone managed to return unharmed, although with a little blood here and there», he reported.
There was so much confusion that the Hearts players didn’t even know if the game was over. «At that moment, we didn’t even know if the referee had already whistled the end and we were escorted out. Only then did they tell us that the game was over and, from then on, it was just a matter of getting out of there and quickly getting on the bus», explained Borchgrevink, adding that the priority was to check the condition of everyone, including family and fans.
In addition to the violence, the former Valerenga defender, who played in just five league matches for Derek Mc Innes’ team, lamented the way his team lost the game. «Firstly, it’s brutal that we were in the lead for so long and lost it in the final stretch. That’s what we’re left with now,” he told the press in his country.
Read more in football news. and related tags: Christian Borchgrevink, Derek Mc Innes.