Champions League - Celtic invader caged for six months

Eurosport - Sun, 23 Nov 11:26:00 2008

A teenage pitch invader who disrupted play during Celtic's Champions League match against Manchester United has been locked up for six months.

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 Scottish Premier League Celtic fans - 0

John Murphy, 18, was also banned from attending national or international football matches for five years, one of the longest such banning orders imposed in Scotland.

Play had to be temporarily stopped during the first half when Murphy, from Glasgow, went on to the pitch during the clash at Celtic Park on November 5.

Celtic fan Murphy, of Glenavon Road, Glasgow, admitted charges of breaching the peace and being drunk in a sports ground when he appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this month.

Last Thursday, Celtic were fined £42,430 by UEFA for the invasion and for the late start to the game, which ended 1-1.

Sentencing Murphy on Friday, Sheriff Linda Ruxton branded his behaviour "dangerous and irresponsible".

She said: "Not only did you create a situation in which there were fears for the safety of the players on the pitch, but you interrupted a high profile match and created a situation which might easily have provoked serious public disorder.

"Furthermore, you brought Scottish football generally and Celtic Football Club in particular into disrepute and your behaviour caused the club to be fined a substantial amount."

She said she would have detained him for nine months but in view of his guilty plea she reduced it to six months.

She also imposed a football banning order which bars him from attending any regulated football match in the UK or abroad for five years.

She said: "Such a sentence is particularly designed to have a deterrent effect on others who need to appreciate that such behaviour at football matches will not be tolerated by the courts."

She admonished him on the drunkenness charge.

TeamTalk / Eurosport

Comment 10 - 29 of 29

Sort comments by: Most recent

  1. 24 - they're only posing as "closet­ Tims", because in reality they are really just­ "closet homosexuals".. LOL!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Mon 24 Nov 1:18PM

  2. To all those who think that 6 months' residency at­ a HerMaj Hotel somewhere is OTT, he got off lucky!!­ Celtic FC are £42,000 lighter because of this­ idiot's stupidity! Consider the alternative - he is­ made to financially recompense the club fot its­ financial loss... Nae giro for a few years! As for the­ empty Buckie bottles - is there any recycling company­ out there that gives back 10p on empty Buckie bottles??­ As for the football banning order - I'd have made­ him go to watch Rangers every week for the next 5­ years!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Mon 24 Nov 1:12PM

  3. AND HE WILL GET HIS @#$% PUMPED IN JAIL .......

    From Timabhouy, on Mon 24 Nov 10:43AM

  4. excuse me for interupting,but a'm i right in saying­ that,celtic back charge security.... ie­ "rocksteady crew".so therfore it wont cost­ celtic a penny?

    From wazzzzzaaaaaaa, on Mon 24 Nov 5:35AM

  5. It was right to fine Celtic Big bucks as they should­ have a foolproof way to prevent spectators entering on­ to the Playing Area. Crowds should be warned at start­ of every match of the possible penalties. Some of the­ stewards at the match should be removed as they­ obviously failed to act quickly enough to prevent the­ incident happening. Of course the opposing team manager­ would have blown a gasket if less severe action had­ been taken as his players may have had to fall over if­ approached by a drunken fan. Fans in Scotland do much­ worse in the safety of the crowd like throwing objects­ at the opposition and officials. Let the courts deal­ with those idiots now including the rocket thrower who­ really deserve a stint of porridge for his actions.

    From J D, on Mon 24 Nov 1:21AM

  6. Hey Sam D, if you lots dislike the Celtic so much why­ are you going to watch them on tuesday?
    Closet Tims me­ thinks.

    From derekgordon834, on Sun 23 Nov 10:33PM

  7. derekgordon834

    By the way, what will the hun­ supporters be watching on Tuesday night?

    Smeltic­ getting beat lol

    From sam d, on Sun 23 Nov 8:48PM

  8. Look at the picture above. Its celtic fans saying­ " look at me, I can afford a scarf". Idiots

    From Paul G CHAMPIONS, on Sun 23 Nov 8:16PM

  9. I think you will find that celtic have one of the­ poorest records for conduct in the chavs league.

    From Paul G CHAMPIONS, on Sun 23 Nov 8:14PM

  10. The @#=£ shouldn't have ran onto the pitch, if he­ was a true Celtic fan then he should know better, we­ have an outstanding record for conduct at matches but i­ think 6 months is a bit too much he should be made to­ pay the fine that Celtic got instead and made to do­ community service and also given a lifetime ban from­ all home and away matches.

    From Jay, on Sun 23 Nov 7:39PM

  11. he should have got six years..its getn beyond a joke,­ six month without buckfast can only be good for his­ health mind you ..

    From zzgus f, on Sun 23 Nov 7:06PM

  12. 6 months? total rubbish. I am an Aberdeen supporter and­ have no love for wegies the man is a Numptie and should­ be treated as such. next thing you know they will be­ jailing Dons supporters for running Out of the­ ground.

    Jimmy the Don stand free

    From jim m, on Sun 23 Nov 6:16PM

  13. USA fan here. He got 6 months in prison because he ran­ onto to a pitch? Now I do believe that there should be­ punishment but that hardly fits the crime. Maybe he­ has a long list of offenses and this is just icing on­ the cake. I just find that very extreme for a kid­ acting like a fool.

    Maybe a week, that would get the­ point across. But for the law to ruin a kids life for­ doing what stupid kids do is a crime within its self. ­ I wonder what the (judge, what we call them here) would­ do if her son or daughter received that kind of­ punishment.

    From Steve, on Sun 23 Nov 3:25PM

  14. social workers in harringay are getting off with a lot­ worse, the punishmnt is a joke, he should have been­ forced to pay the celtic fine instead, and its the­ social workers who should be getting jail time

    From byron.rodriguez, on Sun 23 Nov 1:46PM

  15. Just keep him in and all the rest on them 2 watch that­ pile of @#$% he deserves it

    From hugh, on Sun 23 Nov 12:42PM

  16. By the way, what will the hun supporters be watching on­ Tuesday night?

    From derekgordon834, on Sun 23 Nov 12:25PM

  17. The guy ran on to the pitch, didn't do anything and­ gets 6 months. There's eleven muppets who do that­ every second saturday at Ibrox and what happens? David­ 'Douglas Bader' Murray pays them to do it.

    From derekgordon834, on Sun 23 Nov 12:22PM

  18. 6 MONTH 4 THAT LOL. WHAT HAPPEND TO THE ONE WHO TAPPED­ DIDA WHAT DID HE GET?

    From garyhope, on Sun 23 Nov 11:33AM

  19. thought he was bright doing this eh. but it­ backfired.maybe people will not do stupid thngs like­ this and free up cells for the assumed criminals of th­ day.

    From mick, on Sun 23 Nov 12:20AM

  20. sue him but don't ruin his life.

    From The Victim, on Sat 22 Nov 6:25PM
Sort comments by: Most recent

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account