Referee Don Robertson reportedly told the SPFL that he blew the final whistle in the chaotic final minutes of Celtic’s title-clinching victory over Hearts. This appears to eliminate two possibilities that could have kept the Jambos’ title aspirations alive under unusual circumstances, even after the league season ended.
Martin O’Neill led the Hoops to their fifth successive title with a 3-1 victory, with Daen Maeda and Callum Osmund scoring crucial late goals. Substitute Osmund sealed the win with his third goal late in stoppage time, and intense scenes unfolded before the final whistle. This led to an invasion of the pitch by home supporters.
Hearts players were led down a tunnel to safety amid claims they were assaulted. They then left the stadium in their kits, before the Celtic team celebrated being crowned champions.
There was considerable confusion as to whether Robertson had blown the whistle to signal the end of the contest, and O’Neill himself admitted that he was not entirely sure.
FIFA rules stipulate that if a match cannot be decided due to pitch invasion, the match will be replayed or the opponent will be given a forfeiture. However, those options now appear to have been ruled out, with Celtic Way reporting that a representative has informed the SPFL delegation that the final whistle has blown at Celtic Park.
The Athletic also said that Hearts were told by match officials that “the match ended normally with an invasion of Celtic’s pitch”. Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett backed Robertson’s decision to end the game, despite O’Neill revealing that a fourth official told him there was “about a minute left” after Osmund’s attack.
He referred to Article 5 of the IFAB Act, which designates the referee as the sole timekeeper of the match and gives him full authority to comply with the rules of the match. Writing in X, Mr Hackett said: “Law 5 favors the referees because they are the only timekeepers. The outcome was chaotic and unacceptable.”
“Frankly, the referee was left with no choice but to call a timeout for the safety of the players and officials.”
Hearts issued a statement regarding the scene, calling it “disgraceful” and calling on authorities to take “the strongest possible action”.
Former Hearts player Ryan Stephenson insists a ‘red line was crossed’ at Celtic Park, telling Sporting Scene:
“But there’s a line. If the players are standing there and the players are trying to intimidate them or get close to them, you can’t do that. There’s got to be a line that you can’t cross. I know you can’t cross that, but unfortunately I think it was crossed today.”
