Why were Celtic presented with the Scottish Cup on the pitch at Hampden?

Walking up the Hampden staircase is one of the most iconic moments for players who are lucky enough to lift the Scottish Cup.

From the fairytale of Hibs in 2016, to the many trophies won by dominating Rangers and Celtic sides, and the cup miracles of St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle to name but a few all living long in the memory of a 100-year plus tradition of celebrating on the podium. It was only a few months ago that Callum McGregor stood at the top and lifted the Viaplay Cup after Ange Postecoglou's side saw off their bitter rivals.

But the Hoops skipper was presented with the final part of the Hoops domestic treble on a podium on the pitch. Broadcasters Viaplay revealed before kick off that it would be the case but it left many fans at the National Stadium and armchair fans scratching their heads.

But why were Celtic presented with their silverware on a podium on the centre circle rather than on the Hampden platform? Record Sport understands one of the reasons is due to the preference of the players themselves who like to crowd around the trophy to give it the big build up. That is harder to manage on the stairs with players in single file a they walk along to pick up their winners' medals.

It is more controlled to have the presentation done on the pitch, with more fans in the stadium getting a good view of the moment the Hoops celebrated the Treble and the likes of broadcasters Viaplay Sports and BBC Scotland getting the money camera shot of the trophy lift.

But it was another traditional aspect of the 150-year-old competition that was missing on the day after the controversy over the usual 3pm kick off being pushed back to 5.30pm to avoid a clash with the FA Cup final at Wembley.

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