Billy Dodds has spoken about Václav Černý’s actions during Rangers’ late celebrations at Celtic Park, when the winger sprayed water towards the Celtic bench and the fans behind it after Hamza Igamane scored the winner.
The moment came as the Rangers team raced towards the away end to celebrate Igamane’s goal. Černý, rather than simply joining his teammates, moved towards the Celtic dugout and squirted water, hitting members of staff and some supporters in the process.
From a Celtic side of things, it looked unnecessary and provocative. Tensions were already high after conceding late, and it felt like something meant to wind people up instead of just celebrating the goal.
Dodds, who was on the Rangers coaching staff that day, said he was taken aback by what Černý did and even asked him about it in the dressing room afterwards.
He said: (Go Radio Football Show), “I don’t think the fan next to the dugout is asking Celtic to sign him.
“I was so surprised he did that because he’s such a nice guy. It’s funny though, when I said to him, ‘what happened? Like, honestly, what happened?’ In the dressing room. ‘Vash, did you do anything?’ ‘No, I never did a thing.’
‘Then, I got him on the Monday, I was like, ‘did you see?’ It was funny. At the time, he was just playing like an innocent person in the park. He wasn’t giving us anything.
“Then, when it was there on video on Monday, he was like, ‘Yeah, okay.’”
For Celtic supporters, Dodds’ version of events only backed up what the video had already shown. Černý knew exactly what he was doing when he aimed the water towards the home bench and fans. In a Glasgow Derby, that kind of behaviour only stirs up emotions even more and comes across as showing no respect for the opposition.
The timing of the act made it worse, coming right after a late winning goal when tempers were already close to boiling over. Instead of letting the football do the talking, it turned the focus onto a needless flashpoint.
Inside the Rangers camp, it may have been brushed aside with a laugh once the match was over. However, from a Celtic perspective, it was seen as a calculated move to get a reaction from both the bench and the crowd.
Celebrations in a derby should be about enjoying your own team’s moment, not trying to provoke the other side. Černý’s choice to do otherwise left a sour note.
