Tuesday 5 March 2019 18:13, UK
Hibernian have yet to identify the supporter who threw a bottle at Scott Sinclair during Saturday’s Scottish Cup defeat against Celtic.
The bottle appeared to be thrown from the Hibs supporters towards the Celtic winger as he prepared to take a corner during the quarter-final tie at Easter Road.
Hibernian chief executive Leeann Dempster condemned the incident, adding the unsavoury episode has prompted the club to make a significant investment to their CCTV set-up at Easter Road.
"We promised to try and identify any supporter involved in the throwing of a bottle on to the pitch - something we simply cannot tolerate," Dempster said.
"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of our security personnel, we have been unable to pinpoint the individual through the existing CCTV set-up at Easter Road Stadium.
"However, we are heartened that several supporters have been in touch to try and identify the person responsible and we are following up on those.
"We know it can be difficult to challenge those adopting an aggressive manner during flashpoints but we would encourage people to get in touch and help us.
"This incident, and the damage to our reputation, has led us to now invest further in upgrading our already modern CCTV set-up at no small cost. Clearly this is also money we would rather be spending on football.
"In future, there will be no hiding place for those few individuals who seek to tarnish the reputation of the vast majority who do Hibernian proud on a weekly basis at grounds all over the country.
"It is in all of our interests to ensure those spending their time and money to support Hibernian and grow the game in Scotland needn't worry about the kind of environment they're putting themselves in.
"We are proud of our supporters and the many, many positives they bring not only in a football sense but also to the wider community. I am determined that a mindless minority will not detract from that."
