SFA Says Referee Ended Celtic‑Hearts Match After Pitch Invasion

The Scottish Football Association has released audio and video footage confirming that a referee correctly ended the recent Premiership title decider between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian after a pitch invasion, a decision made following direct communication with the visiting team's head coach. The governing body's move aims to clarify the conclusion of the match, which saw Celtic crowned champions with a 3-1 victory at Celtic Park.

The controversy stemmed from the final moments of the season's last match. Callum Osmand scored Celtic's third goal deep into stoppage time, triggering a mass invasion of the pitch by home supporters. With hundreds of fans on the field and Hearts players being escorted to safety, referee Don Robertson ended the match without a formal restart. Hearts subsequently claimed the game had been concluded prematurely and wrote to the SFA and the Scottish Professional Football League seeking answers.

In response, the SFA published evidence from the match, including audio in which an official is heard telling Robertson that Hearts head coach Derek McInnes had informed them his team was happy to finish the game due to safety concerns. The governing body stated...