Barry Ferguson has defended Vaclav Cerny’s actions during the recent Old Firm clash and says he would have been disappointed if his players hadn’t celebrated in such a fashion.
The Czech international sprayed water from a bottle towards a section of the Celtic supporters after Hamza Igamane’s late strike sealed a 3-2 win for Rangers at Celtic Park.
Celtic released a statement saying they were engaging with ‘the relevant authorities’ with regards to the incident while Police Scotland also confirmed they had launched an investigation.
Ferguson, though, insisted he had no problem with Cerny’s behaviour and said it was merely a natural reaction to a last-minute derby winner scored away from home.
The interim head coach said: ‘The reaction was he’s excited because his team-mates have scored what was to be the winning goal.
‘I would have a problem if my players and my staff sat in their seat and never said a word or did anything. I want to see players and staff celebrate.
Barry Ferguson celebrates with Vaclav Cerny after Rangers’ victory over Fenerbahce
Ferguson (left) and Cerny (far right) celebrate after the winning goal at Celtic Park
‘Why do we play football? We play football to win games. And when you win games, I want to see my players, my staff, celebrate alongside our supporters.
‘Sometimes you get a wee bit over-excited. I have no issues with that. As I said, Vaclav was just over-excited with his team-mate, Hamza, scoring a goal to get us three points.
‘We’ve not been able to do that [at Celtic Park with Rangers supporters present] for five years, which is a long, long time.’
On talk of the authorities intervening to potentially take action against Cerny, Ferguson added: ‘I’ll let them deal with that. Listen, I’ve had a private chat with Vac and that will remain private.
‘One thing I’ve made clear to my players and my staff is, when we score, we celebrate. And after the game, whether it’s Celtic, whether it’s Fenerbahce, whether it’s St Mirren, whether it’s whoever it is, Dundee, Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts, if that whistle goes and we’ve won three points, I have no issue with going and celebrating with your fans.
‘These guys pay a fortune to travel everywhere and come and support us. And I want to see a bit of passion, not just for the stands, but for my players.’
