The BBC has upheld complaints over pundit Pat Nevin’s claim that Celtic supporters punched Lawrence Shankland during the pitch invasion which followed last season’s Premiership title decider.
Heart of Midlothian players are seen at full time as Celtic fans invade the pitch during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on May 16, 2026 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Nevin was part of the BBC Radio 5 Live commentary team as Celtic defeated Hearts 3-1 at Parkhead in May, with supporters entering the pitch as the Hoops celebrated clinching the league title.
The former Scotland international claimed he had seen “two or three” Celtic fans attack then-Hearts captain Shankland, describing the scenes as “sickening” and “unacceptable”.
However, the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) has now ruled that Nevin’s comments breached the broadcaster’s editorial standards on accuracy following complaints from two listeners.
The 63-year-old has since apologised for his comments.
Nevin said: “I made a mistake in a commentary at the end of the last game of the Scottish season.
“From my angle in the gantry I thought I saw a punch thrown, but it appears it was a confrontation or maybe just goading from one of the hundreds of Celtic fans who invaded the pitch just before the end of the game.
“Goading is not physical violence and I will take it on the chin, the way the Hearts player probably didn’t. My apologies to those offended.”
The BBC ECU accepted that Nevin had made an “honest error” while attempting to describe the chaotic scenes live but concluded that he should not have stated as fact that Shankland had been punched.
Its ruling said: “During a pitch invasion towards the end of the Hearts v Celtic match, the commentator Pat Nevin said two or three Celtic fans had punched the Hearts captain. Two listeners complained this was untrue.
“The scenes at the end of the match were chaotic, and Mr Nevin and his co-commentators were trying to give listeners an impression of events as they unfolded, with no opportunity for verification before speaking.
“Mr Nevin subsequently acknowledged that he should not have stated definitively that the Hearts captain had been punched by Celtic fans.
“The ECU accepted that this was an honest error made in the heat of the moment, but concluded that it fell below the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
“The finding was reported to the management of BBC Sport. On his own initiative, Mr Nevin apologised for the error on air on two occasions, and again in his BBC Sport newsletter.”
The match proved a dramatic conclusion to Celtic’s title-winning campaign, with almost 1.4million viewers watching on Sky Sports — making it the most-watched Scottish football match of last season.
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