Hibs’ Chief Executive Leeann Dempster has strongly condemned the reckless actions of a supporter during Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup tie with Celtic and has pledged to upgrade CCTV in the stadium.
She told the club website: “In our statement on Saturday we promised to try and identify any supporter involved in the throwing of a bottle on to the pitch – something we simply cannot tolerate.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of our security personnel, we have been unable to pinpoint the individual through the existing CCTV set-up at Easter Road Stadium.
“However, we are heartened that several supporters have been in touch to try and identify the person responsible and we are following up on those.
“We know it can be difficult to challenge those adopting an aggressive manner during flashpoints but we would encourage people to get in touch and help us.
“This incident, and the damage to our reputation, has led us to now invest further in upgrading our already modern CCTV set-up at no small cost.
“Clearly this is also money we would rather be spending on football. “In future, there will be no hiding place for those few individuals who seek to tarnish the reputation of the vast majority who do Hibernian proud on a weekly basis at grounds all over the country.
“Any supporter caught engaging in behaviour that places players, staff and other fans at risk will be dealt with in the strongest possible terms available to us, whether that involves exclusion from Easter Road Stadium, a Football Banning Order or criminal prosecution when appropriate.
“I can confirm that the club has excluded a number of supporters for unacceptable conduct in the past, most recently for the use of pyrotechnic at Dens Park and another incident of disorderly conduct.
“All three supporters have been excluded from attending Easter Road Stadium for a defined period of time.
“It is in all of our interests to ensure those spending their time and money to support Hibernian and grow the game in Scotland needn’t worry about the kind of environment they’re putting themselves in.
“We are proud of our supporters and the many, many positives they bring not only in a football sense but also to the wider community.
“I am determined that a mindless minority will not detract from that.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
