Celtic might lose some points next season, says a former official who shared his thoughts on the situation.
A former PGMOL chief thinks the Scottish FA might take strong action against Celtic after a pitch invasion spoiled the Scottish Premiership title-deciding game against Hearts.
On Saturday, thousands of Celtic fans ran onto the pitch at Celtic Park just after Callum Osmand scored a last-minute goal in the 97th minute to win the league on a dramatic final day in Glasgow. Some fans seemed to target Hearts players, who were quickly led away for their safety.
Hearts said their players and staff faced “serious physical and verbal abuse” and called the scenes “deeply disturbing,” “shameful,” and “unacceptable.” The Edinburgh club is also working with Police Scotland.
Hearts said, “We expect the football authorities to take the strongest action to protect the safety of players, fans, and the fairness of the game.” Celtic apologized to Hearts and said they will help police and the SPFL with the investigation.
No final decision has been made yet, but Keith Hackett, a former PGMOL chief and Premier League referee, thinks a points deduction for Celtic next season is more likely than replaying the game.
He told Football Insider, “The Scottish FA will review what happened quickly. They need to answer some tough questions. Fans came onto the pitch at what they thought was the end of the game, but was it really over? Usually, the game restarts after a goal. They need to confirm if the game had officially ended, or if the pitch invasion ended it.”
Hackett added, “If the referee didn’t blow the final whistle, it’s tricky for the FA. A replay seems very unlikely since many players would have already left for other commitments. A points deduction next season is probably the fair choice.”
Heart of Midlothian released a statement saying: “We strongly condemn the shameful scenes at Celtic Park that have embarrassed Scottish football again.
“Reports of serious abuse to our players and staff on the pitch and elsewhere are very upsetting. We are looking into it and working with Police Scotland.
“We won’t say more right now except that it was completely wrong for our players and staff to be put in that position.
“Because of the scary and threatening atmosphere in the stadium, our staff had to leave immediately without doing their usual post-match media duties. We apologize to our media partners but keeping our staff safe was our main concern.
“The pitch invasion made the end of the match chaotic, and no one seemed sure if the game had finished. Our players didn’t even get to thank our amazing fans for their support today and all season.
“We want the authorities to take strong action to protect everyone’s safety and keep the game fair.
“This season, Hearts have captured the hearts of football fans in Scotland and around the world. We thank Derek McInnes, his staff, the team, and the fans who made us proud.
“None of them deserved the awful scenes that happened.”