STATEMENT FROM CELTIC FOOTBALL CLUB

Celtic Football Club welcomes the announcement today by Northumbria Police that no charges are to be brought against any Celtic player with respect to incidents alleged to have taken place in Newcastle last December.

Joos Valgaeren, Johan Mjallby and Bobby Petta who were pictured on the front page of the Daily Record newspaper under the headline “Thugs and Thieves” always maintained their innocence and are delighted, but not surprised, at this outcome.

The players are now taking legal advice concerning the vicious personal attack launched upon them by the Daily Record and by its editor, Peter Cox, who went on national television to repeat in graphic detail what have now been found to be grossly unjustified allegations.

The decision of Northumbria Police to take no action against the players confirms that the Daily Record’s claim of “thuggery” was a completely unwarranted description of events.

Once again Celtic Football Club finds the good name of the club and its players used disparagingly simply to boost a newspaper’s failing circulation.

Without prejudicing possible legal action (by individual players or the club) Celtic Football Club looks forward with interest to see if the Daily Record and its editor now adopt an honorable course of action.

We look with interest to see if they have any proposals to apologise and attempt to put the ‘record’ straight.

We also look forward to seeing what action the Daily Record’s local management plan to take against those who wrongly attacked the club and its players.

We also look forward to seeing what the Trinity Mirror Board in London, who ultimately control both the Daily Record and Sunday Mail in Scotland, intend to do with an organisation that seems to have their own agenda when covering issues relating to Celtic Football Club.

We clearly expect an equitable and effective end to this unsavoury journalistic episode.