BBC football pundit Pat Nevin has been found to have breached the broadcaster's editorial standards following his remarks on Celtic's pitch invasion last season. The former Scotland international was part of the BBC Radio 5 Live commentary team for Celtic's league title decider against Hearts, which Martin O'Neill's side won 3-1.
The Parkhead side clinched the Scottish Premiership with the victory, prompting supporters to invade the pitch. Nevin claimed he saw "two or three" fans attack then-Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland and described the post-match scenes as "sickening" and "unacceptable".
Investigation and ruling
The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) launched an investigation into Nevin's comments after viewers complained that the 63-year-old's remarks were false. The inquiry found that Nevin's claims breached the corporation's accuracy standards, but did say he made an "honest error".
Nevin later took to his BBC sports column and issued an apology. He wrote: "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."
ECU statement
The BBC ECU released a statement on their ruling, which read: "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."
It was revealed that two listeners had complained that Nevin's claims were untrue. The outcome read: "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."
Apology and aftermath
The broadcaster's report added: "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 triumph marked Celtic's fifth consecutive league triumph and their 14th in the last 15 years. It was their 56th league title as they pipped Rangers (55) to the most championships in Scottish football history.
