Brendan Rodgers has weighed in on the controversial incident involving Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny, who squirted water at Celtic fans during the aftermath of the derby clash almost two weeks ago now.
Cerny, who had already been substituted, sprinted down the touchline celebrating Hamza Igamane’s late winner and was seen spraying water at home supporters in the main stand.
The incident has sparked investigations from the SFA and Police Scotland, with Celtic also launching their own inquiry.
Rodgers didn’t shy away from addressing the matter during his media duties, expressing his disappointment at the behaviour while also acknowledging the emotional intensity that comes with the fixture.
“I obviously heard what had happened, and you can’t do that,” Rodgers told Clyde 1.
“That’s the reality, you know. I understand the jubilation and Rangers players have every right to celebrate with their supporters.
“You come to Celtic Park like it would be when you go to Ibrox, you win a game of that magnitude, you celebrate, but not in that way. I think it’s a lack of respect if a player runs up a touchline and he’s squirting a water bottle in supporters’ face. I certainly wouldn’t want my players to do it.
“But I think we all know there’s a line that we shouldn’t cross. Like I said, it is a very emotive game. It’s an amazing fixture and I thought it was great to have the fans back in.
“I think that gave it that extra bit as well. But I just think there are lines we can’t antagonise because in this fixture in particular, that can lead to an issue.”
The Celtic manager has hit the nail on the head. It was a lack of respect and no Celtic player would even dream of doing it.
And if you buy Cerny’s excuse that he was caught up in the moment and Barry Ferguson saying it was all part of the celebration, you’d at least expect an apology of some sort. If it was a Celtic player, there certainly would be.
It’s the double standards of the incident that have annoyed fans the most. If it was a supporter who had squirted the water, they’d be escorted from the stadium and likely have their season ticket ripped up.
