Commons apologies for outburst

Midfielder Kris Commons has apologised for his outburst which was caught on camera during Celtic’s 3-1 defeat to Molde in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Commons, who scored Celtic’s only goal of the evening, was substituted in the 76th minute and replaced by Nadir Ciftci. When he got to the dugout, he was seen to be shouting aggressively towards assistant manager John Collins and first-team coach John Kennedy.

In a statement released on the club’s official website, Commons said:

I was very frustrated at how the night had gone. However, I did not handle this in the right way. My frustration at losing games and my desire to win will never change.

I know we are all part of a team at Celtic and I am proud to be part of this team. I want this team to win and I am sure we can come together, work hard and get the results needed to qualify from this group.

I still have every confidence we can do this and in a fortnight we have the chance to make amends. That’s the motivation now for us all.

The BBC report that the Scottish international has also apologised to the rest of his teammates and that he will be in contention to feature in the league game against Dundee United on Sunday.

Manager Ronny Delia said that he’s happy with Commons’ decision to apologise and stressed the need for all of his players to stay together as the season progresses.

It’s very important [that he apologised] and I’m happy for that. He came to me and did it at once and that’s very good. We have dealt with it and now we have to move on. We have to have discipline and stay together and he really understands that.

Deila was also asked about the apparent frustration of the Celtic fans after the loss in Norway.

I understand they’re angry. I really understand and I know a lot of people are travelling around with Celtic and have big expectations. We are very, very sorry and disappointed.