Celtic lock-out at Hearts '˜down to others using invalid tickets'

Celtic supporters with valid match tickets were locked out of Tynecastle on Saturday because a minority of their fellow fans had filled the capacity of the away end using invalid briefs to gain entry, according to Hearts owner Ann Budge.

Celtic defeated Hearts 3-1 at Tynecastle - but some Hoops fans didn't manage to enter the stadium. Pic: SNS

The Jambos have been investigating after a group of away fans were angered at being denied entry to their title-winning match after turning up late. They weren’t allowed in as the section of the Roseburn Stand housing Celtic fans was full up after some fans had managed to gain access using tickets from previous matches between the teams which, in some cases, had been doctored well enough to get past stewards at the turnstiles. Other invalid tickets were confiscated outside the ground.

“We’ve almost finished the investigation and I’ve undertaken to go back to them to explain what happened and why it happened,” said Budge. “I’ve seen the tickets and they’re very difficult to identify and we’ll have to work out what we’re going to do about it. I think in the last Celtic game we had a touch of it as well.

“I very much sympathise with those that had a genuine ticket. I can understand exactly how they feel and why they should feel aggrieved. Equally, we can’t let more people into the stadium for safety reasons. The stadium was closed because we had filled the capacity.”