LEIGH Griffiths last night dismissed claims the Celtic players had deliberately provoked the Rangers supporters with their goal celebrations during their record-breaking 5-1 victory at Ibrox last weekend.
Scott Sinclair was the victim of an alleged racist taunt – an offence which a man has since been arrested over – after opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half of the Ladbrokes Premiership match on Saturday.
Elsewhere, a Rangers fan also invaded the pitch and tried to attack the Celtic captain Scott Brown before being led away by stewards and the visiting players were also pelted by coins and other missiles.
A spokesman for Rangers supporters’ group Club 1872 afterwards condemned those responsible – but also called for the “proper authorities” to take action over “players taunting opposing fans during the majority of goal celebrations”.
However, Griffiths, who had a battery hurled at him after running to the corner flag in front of the Sandy Jardine and Copland Road Stands after putting Celtic two in front, rejected that suggestion.
He stressed the Celtic players would have been cautioned by match official John Beaton if they had broken any rules - and insisted they would have had no issues if their opponents had celebrated in the same manner after netting at Parkhead.
“It was a normal celebration,” he said at the launch of the Scottish champions' kit for the 2017/18 season. “There was no question of goading the fans. If you goad fans you will get booked, simple as that.
“We were at the edge of the pitch, we didn't go over the hoardings or anything like that. Not until the second half when we scored in front of the Celtic fans.
“I think if the Rangers players did that at our place there wouldn't be any qualms from us. If the shoe was on the other foot and the Rangers players did that at Celtic Park it wouldn't be a problem.”
Meanwhile, Griffiths, who has taken over from Moussa Dembele in the Celtic team, has admitted he is hoping to perform well enough up front in the next four league games to get selected to play in the William Hill Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen later this month and the Scotland game against England next month.
The 26-year-old striker has, despite netting 40 times in all competitions last season, had to play understudy to Dembele, who has scored 32 goals since moving to this country last summer, in recent months.
However, the French forward suffered a hamstring strain during the Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Rangers last month and the Scot has taken his place in Brendan Rodgers’s side.
“For my personal point of view I have five cup finals,” he said. “Last week I scored a good goal, played well and was involved in a lot of decent things but the main objective is to get minutes, play as well as I can and get into the cup final team. Then I’ve got another big game for Scotland in June and I want to be firing on all cylinders for that.
“It’s unfortunate that Moussa got injured, but it happened to me earlier in the season and he stepped up to play. I’m fully fit and hopefully I can score goals. The cup final and England games are coming up fast.”
Rodgers has expressed concerns about how little time there is between Scotland’s next Russia 2018 qualifier against England at Hampden on June 10 and Celtic’s opening Champions League qualifier on either July 11 or 12.
No fewer than six of his first team regulars – Stuart Armstrong, Scott Brown, James Forrest, Craig Gordon, Griffiths and Kieran Tierney – started for Gordon Strachan’s side in their World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in March.
The Celtic manager feels being involved in the meeting with Gareth Southgate’s team could adversely affect his players’ preparations for those important European matches. But Griffiths believes he will be fine due to his lack of game time this year.
“We are only going to get five or six days off after the cup final and then we are back training with Scotland,” he said. “We are not going to get a lot of time off. The boys in England will get a few days off before they meet up with the squad. We'll keep ticking over for a few days until we go back to training to be firing on all cylinders.
“I don't know how long we will get off and when we are back in. If it's June 22 then 12 days is enough for a holiday and to keep yourself ticking over. Coming back, I'm sure the gaffer will take into consideration the fact we've not had that long off. Training will be worked around us. But the Champions League qualifiers make or break our season and the gaffer will want everybody fit and raring to go.”
Griffiths has spent lengthy spells on the sidelines with injuries this season and admitted that Rodgers had given him a “kick up the backside” about how he was applying himself which he feels has made a significant difference to his fitness.
“It’s never nice or easy being injured," he said. "There’s no one more disappointed than me when you are injured. Since I’ve come back I’ve proved my fitness and Moussa being injured gives me a chance. That (the weekend win over Rangers) was my first 90 minutes since December 12. I hadn’t played too many minutes after that as well.
“The manager wanted me to come back and not break down. I had problem with my calves and I rushed back. Had I taken another few weeks then I’d have been fine. I’ve worked on it now and the last time I injured my calf I took some extra time and it’s been fine.
“The chat with the gaffer wasn’t heated. He thinks highly of me and knows what I can do, but I can’t help him from the treatment table. If Moussa gets injured then I’m the next striker he needs to turn to.”
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