A football fan has been charged following an attack on Celtic manager Neil Lennon during the Glasgow club's 3-0 win over Hearts in a Scottish Premier League match.
Lennon was assaulted after his side went 2-0 up in Wednesday's game by a fan who emerged from the part of the stand where Hearts supporters were congregated.
John Wilson, 26, from Edinburgh, was charged with assault aggravated by religious prejudice, and breach of the peace, at a private hearing and was remanded in custody, the UK Press Association reported. He has also been banned for life by Hearts.
Lothian and Borders police said they were also "fully investigating" the crowd trouble which followed the second-half incident and would be working with both clubs and the Scottish Premier League to establish the full facts.
Lennon intimidation has no place in soccer
Celtic's chief executive Peter Lawwell on Thursday condemned recent attacks on Lennon and the club, which have included parcel bombs, bullets in the mail and arrests after a firearms incident at the training ground.
"Last night's appalling attack on Neil Lennon brings shame on Scottish football and again highlights the fact that Scottish society must address fundamental and serious issues which lead to outrages of this kind," Lawwell told Celtic's website.
"Apart from last night's events, this week alone we have seen seven people arrested at our training ground following an alleged firearms incident and I can also confirm that this morning another package arrived at Celtic Park which appears to contain ammunition.
"This has been removed and taken by police for further forensic tests. We are the only club to be the subject of such vile, sustained and relentless attacks. This is Scotland's shame and it is high time Scotland addressed it."
Lennon, who has been the subject of death threats and attempted parcel-bombings, was said to be "shaken" by the incident at Hearts' Tynecastle stadium.
"What happened here was an utter disgrace and a dark day for Scottish football," his Swedish assistant Johan Mjallby told reporters.
"I could see out the corner of my eye someone running towards us but we were engrossed in the game. (First-team coach) Alan Thompson reacted first and then the manager defended himself.
"He was shaken by the death threats he received. Now he'd be entitled to be more afraid than ever."
However, Lawwell said Lennon was determined to continue his 10-year affiliation with Celtic.
"He is a man who is proud to be the Celtic manager and is someone who simply wants to be able to carry out his role in the same way as every other football manager can," Lawwell said.
"Neil will continue to receive every support and protection from Celtic Football Club. He has displayed a strength of character and resilience which deserve respect from all who oppose the campaign of intimidation against him."
In a related development Thursday, Strathclyde Police said that two men aged 41 and 43 have been arrested in connection with their investigations into the parcel bombs sent to Lennon and two prominent Celtic supporters last month.
They were detained under the Explosive Substances Act 1883 after officers raided a number of properties in Ayrshire in the West of Scotland.
Two bombs were sent to Lennon and one each to lawyer Paul McBride and politician Trish Godman.
Scottish football clubs generally draw their support from either the Catholic or Protestant communities.
Lennon, a Catholic, received death threats while playing for Northern Ireland, where the majority of the supporters are Protestant. It led to his retirement from international football.
He was also attacked in a Glasgow street in September 2008 in a sectarian attack.
This season's battle for the Scottish title between Rangers and Lennon's Celtic has been marked by a number of controversial incidents at "Old Firm" clashes between the two teams, which have placed Lennon in the spotlight.
Jim Traynor, a leading football writer for the Daily Record, told CNN that Neil Lennon's problems were "sectarian based."
"He has suffered appalling abuse and much of it is based on the fact he is a Catholic from Northern Ireland," Traynor said.
"It's a problem for Scottish football and a problem for Scottish society. It scars the image of a decent country."
Celtic's win in Edinburgh left the second-placed team one point behind defending champions Rangers ahead of this weekend's final round of matches.
Source: CNN
