Celtic supporters and commentators have pushed back strongly against criticism directed at the club following its end-of-season celebrations and title triumph.
Complaints have poured in from Hearts and Motherwell fans regarding a handball mockery performed during the Celtic players’ night out after the season concluded.
Rangers supporters at Ibrox also voiced loud objections to the same gesture, despite the incident dominating public conversation for well over a week before any Celtic response emerged.
The controversy surrounding Celtic’s use of the song Simply The Best has provoked what observers describe as an extraordinary reaction from the Ibrox support and potentially the club itself.
Celtic had absorbed more than seven days of sustained criticism from rival clubs, media figures, and supporters before choosing to respond publicly through celebrations and social media activity.
Martin O’Neill reportedly made clear that allegations of assault and related accusations were not going to go unanswered, setting a tone of defiance from within the Celtic camp.
A former Hearts chairman attracted widespread ridicule after announcing plans to write to FIFA over the handball incident, a move Celtic-aligned commentators dismissed as entirely without merit.
Derek McInnes drew further attention after his animated sideline behavior, which included shouting at referees, pointing at Celtic players, and making accusations of disrespect toward the Celtic bench during matches.
Celtic supporters mocked McInnes at Hampden, and the club’s supporter liaison officer followed suit, actions that critics labeled unsportsmanlike but that Celtic’s camp defended as fair responses to provocation.
Hearts supporters and some media outlets accused Celtic of failing to win graciously, a charge that Celtic observers noted was never applied equally to clubs demonstrating poor behavior in defeat.
Celtic’s club hierarchy has largely maintained public silence throughout the controversy, a stance that has generally allowed the club to appear professional relative to its critics and rivals.
The Simply The Best controversy drew particular attention given Rangers’ recent trophy record, with the Ibrox club collecting three trophies over the past 14 years while finishing third in the most recent league campaign.
Celtic supporters took to singing Simply The Best inside Ibrox stadium itself during the season, a moment that commentators described as deeply embarrassing for the home club given the circumstances.
The song, originally performed by Tina Turner, uses second-person phrasing directed at another person rather than first-person language, a distinction Celtic supporters have long highlighted when discussing its use by Rangers.
The song also carries historical associations with loyalist groups, adding another dimension to the ongoing debate about whether Rangers should continue using it as an anthem at home fixtures.
Celtic-aligned commentators argue that a club finishing third in the league while playing a song declaring themselves the best invites mockery and should prompt the club to reconsider the tradition entirely.
The broader argument from Celtic’s side rests on the claim that rivals and their media allies portrayed Celtic as undeserving champions, cheats, or beneficiaries of fortune throughout the title race.
With the Scottish Cup secured alongside the league title, Celtic completed another domestic trophy haul while rivals continued to voice objections to the manner in which the club chose to celebrate its achievements.
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