Lennon attacked

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has received an official apology from the SPFL after claims he was pelted by coins and spat at during the Scottish League Cup semi-final.

Lennon was watching the game between Aberdeen and St Johnstone at Tynecastle but was forced to leave after 62 minutes.

The Hoops boss was sitting in the main stand, yards above the technical area where he was attacked by a Hearts fan during a game in 2011. The stand was housing Aberdeen fans at the time.

Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPFL, said: "We'd like to congratulate Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle on reaching the Scottish League Cup Final after two thrilling semi-finals this weekend.

"Unfortunately, we understand that the Celtic manager Neil Lennon was the subject of abusive treatment by a minority of fans during yesterday's game.

"Given this occurred at one of our games, we'd like to apologise to Neil Lennon for this utterly unacceptable behaviour.

"The SPFL is united in its total condemnation of this type of incident, which has no place in a football stadium nor society overall."

A Celtic spokesperson said: "Clearly it is totally unacceptable for the Celtic manager to be treated in this way.

"Neil has complimented the way in which the situation was handled by stewarding staff at Tynecastle.

"We have an excellent relationship with Aberdeen Football Club and we are sure they will look into this matter."


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11787/9147620/

 

If by "nothing was said" you mean people have been banging on about it ever since.... Then ok. One guy was tracked down 20 years after he did it and found out what became of his life. He was a bum somewhere down in Englandshire.

 

Neil Lennon: Fans abuse was drunken, not sectarian

Neil Lennon accused Aberdeen fans of throwing missiles at him but denied there had been a sectarian element. Picture: SNS
by ALASTAIR DALTON and STEPHEN HALLIDAY

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon today accused drunken Aberdeen fans of throwing missiles towards him at a League Cup tie on Saturday, but said it had not been a sectarian attack.

Lennon left the Scottish League Cup semi-final between Aberdeen and St Johnstone at Tynecastle in Edinburgh 20 minutes before the end of the match after coins and a drink container hit people near him.

He said: “It’s very uncomfortable and very unsavoury.

“I don’t want to take anything away from what was a great day for Aberdeen. I don’t think that’s fair.

“I can’t apportion any blame to them, it was just a section of their supporters who probably had far too much to drink and wanted to single me out.

“I don’t think it was sectarian. It was drink-fuelled and yes it is unacceptable.”

Lennon was sitting with Celtic coach Garry Parker, physio Tim Williamson and Hearts assistant manager Billy Brown, and close to Aberdeen staff in the directors box at the Hearts stadium when the trouble started.

He said: “You get the usual abuse, which is fine. You can get over that.

“But then I was aware of a coin flying past my head and it actually hit an Aberdeen member of staff on the back.

“He was wearing a padded jacket and he was aware something hit him. He handed the coin to the steward.”

Lennon said stewards moved him to just in front of the Press box at half time.

He said: “When Aberdeen scored the third goal, a drink of some sorts came flying over my head.

“It missed me and landed in the Press box, hitting a couple of journalists.

“I thought, ‘We need to think of the safety of other people around us’.

“This guy had been hit with a coin.

“We said we’d see how the next 15 minutes goes. When it happened again, we decided not to stick about.

“It’s just unsavoury, unnecessary and uncalled for.”

Witnesses said Lennon had withstood nearly an hour of verbal abuse before leaving the stadium. Aberdeen won 4-0.

The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) said the incidents had been “utterly unacceptable”.

Chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “We’d like to congratulate Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle on reaching the Scottish League Cup Final after two thrilling semi-finals this weekend.

“Unfortunately, we understand the Celtic manager Neil Lennon was the subject of abusive treatment by a minority of fans during yesterday’s game.

“Given this occurred at one of our games, we’d like to apologise to Neil Lennon for this utterly unacceptable behaviour.

“The SPFL is united in its total condemnation of this type of incident, which has no place in a football stadium nor society overall.”

Police Scotland said they had received no complaints about the incidents.

A spokeswoman said: “Police in Edinburgh have received no reports relating to assaults or abuse of anyone associated with Celtic or Heart of Midlothian football clubs following the match on Saturday.”

The incident is the latest of a series of attacks on Lennon over the last 11 years.

Two students were fined after he was attacked in his car in Glasgow in 2003.

A year later, threatening graffiti was daubed outside his home and he was the victim of road rage when he was repeatedly yelled at on the M8 motorway.

In 2008, Lennon was treated in hospital after being attacked hours after an Old Firm game. Two Rangers fans were later jailed for two years each.

A package of bullets addressed to Lennon was intercepted at a sorting office in Country Antrim, in 2011.

Two men were jailed for five years in 2012 for sending Lennon parcel bombs.