EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) – Hearts expressed concern on Wednesday that their plans set a “worrying precedent”. Scottish title decider Last weekend’s game against Celtic ended before the game could officially end due to a pitch invasion.
The Edinburgh club said it had written to Scottish football authorities regarding the “circumstances surrounding the early termination of the match”.
Callum Osmund’s goal in the final eight minutes of stoppage time on Saturday sealed Celtic’s title-clinching 3-1 win, sparking wild celebrations among fans as hundreds rushed onto the pitch and approached the dejected Hearts players.
The match appeared to be over before the full stoppage time was played. The Scottish Professional Football League has since been clarified The referee reportedly told him, “The match was over, but not canceled.”
The club said in a Hearts statement that the letter expressed “concerns that a troubling precedent has been set where pitch incursions, rather than match officials, can effectively determine the length of a football match.”
“We asked them to respond quickly to the points we raised,” Hertz said.
Celtic won for the fifth consecutive year and 14th in 15 seasons, while long-time leaders Hearts missed out on their first Scottish League title since 1960.
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