A CELTIC fan hurled vile abuse and "tried to attack" former Rangers favourite Nacho Novo. It came after video footage emerged of the supporter singing "hope you die in your sleep Nacho Novo" as he arrived at Belfast international airport. 5 Nacho Novo confronted the Celtic fan who hurled abuse at him Novo was in intensive care earlier this year after suffering from a near-fatal heart attack. The 39-year-old and Celtic supporter confronted each other outside the airport with Novo asking: "Why you disrespect me like that? "What have I f****** done to you?" The man then steps forward and raises his hands to Novo's stomach before replying "on you go son." Sign up for Dream Team 2018/19 now Dream Team is back and better than ever ahead of the new Premier League season ahead of the new Premier League season Completely free to play to play £400k jackpot up for grabs across the season up for grabs across the season REGISTER FOR DREAM TEAM 2018/19 HERE 5 The pair squared up to each other as tempers threatened to boil over 5 Nacho Novo won three league titles with Rangers Credit: PA:Press Association Novo initially took the vile song in good spirits and was seen smiling to the camera but obviously lost his patience with the fan when they stepped outside the airport. Novo took to Twitter to share his version of the story. Responding to the video out the pair outside, he said: "Arrived at Belfast international airport tonight to support the local community for all sides of the divide. "As soon as I walked out of the airport I was surrounded by over Celtic supporters that hurled abuse and tried to attack myself. 5 Nacho Novo initially took the vile chant in good spirits but finally ran out of patience 5 Rangers vs Osijek clash sees mass brawl erupt in streets outside Ibrox before the game "I would like to thank genuine Celtic supporters." Novo is a huge fan favourite at Rangers having made 255 appearances and winning three league titles during his six years at the club. In January he was fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack while playing for a team of Rangers legends in Berlin.<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Join thousands of others in getting the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox. Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice A Belfast football club has said it was unacceptable that former Rangers player Nacho Novo was subjected to sectarian abuse at an airport in the city. Novo confronted a Celtic fan at Belfast International Airport who was singing: "I hope you die in your sleep Nacho Novo." The incident was filmed and footage posted on social media . A statement from East Belfast FC said: "We feel it essential that we highlight the sectarian abuse and threats made to Nacho Novo. "While travelling to Belfast from Glasgow to support our kids he found himself on a plane with Celtic supporters returning home from their game yesterday and was threatened, abused and disgusting things were also said about his family. "This is not acceptable in this day and age." (Image: Internet Unknown) The Spaniard had travelled to Belfast to attend East Belfast FC academy's prizegiving day for players aged 11 and 12. He suffered a suspected heart attack earlier this year during a tournament in Berlin. The club called on the Police Service of Northern Ireland to investigate. Novo played for east Belfast side Glentoran in 2016-17. East Belfast FC said in a Facebook post: "We would like to express our deep gratitude to Nacho Novo for making his way to Belfast to present all the 06 section with their trophies and also delivering what was an amazing day for many kids connected with East Belfast FC. "Not many sporting heroes go out of their way to travel from another country to do what Nacho did, the smiles on the kids faces spoke a million words and Nacho has promised to continue his support for our club."<doc-sep>The Spaniard initially smiled and appeared to laugh it off, but an angry Novo later confronted the fan outside the airport doors, swearing and demanding to know why he had been "disrespected".<doc-sep>
A man at the centre of a social media storm after he was filmed in a confrontation with former Rangers star Nacho Novo last night expressed his deep regret over the incident. Novo (39) appears in two videos circulating on social media, the first of which shows him walking through arrivals at Belfast International Airport on Saturday as the man in a Celtic tracksuit top sings “I hope you die in your sleep Nacho Novo”. Novo, who played for Glentoran and is a frequent visitor to Northern Ireland, initially laughs off the abuse. However, in a second clip, taken outside the airport, Novo is seen approaching the man and asking him why he “disrespected” him, saying he had done nothing to deserve the abuse and that he “was not scared of him”. Last night the Celtic fan said he wanted to apologise unreservedly to Novo for his “indefensible behaviour”. He said: “I had been over to watch football and had returned on the same day and I was the worse for drink. That is not an excuse but it is true. I’ve let myself down. “Since the incident went viral, I’ve had an insight into the effects of abusive behaviour. Threats have been made online and I can appreciate how upsetting the original incident was.” Novo, posting on social media later that evening, said: “Arrived at Belfast International Airport tonight to support the local community for all sides of the divide. “As soon as I walked out of the airport I was surrounded by Celtic supporters that hurled abuse and tried to attack myself. I would like thank genuine Celtic supporter.” Novo was left fighting for his life in January after suffering a heart attack while starring in a Rangers legends tournament in Germany. The star received thousands of goodwill messages.