Hearts last night blasted the shameful scenes which tarnished the title decider at Celtic Park — branding the chaos at full-time as an ‘embarrassment to Scottish football’.
Hitting out at the ‘menacing and threatening atmosphere inside the stadium’, Hearts also confirmed they were in talks with Police Scotland after some of their players and staff were allegedly assaulted.
With the match poised at 1-1 with only three minutes to play, Derek McInnes’ side were set to become champions for the first time in 66 years.
But Celtic snatched the title away from their rivals in dramatic fashion thanks to a goal from Daizen Maeda, before Callum Osmand struck deep into stoppage-time to seal a 3-1 victory.
That prompted thousands of Celtic supporters to storm the pitch, with Hearts players being goaded and targeted before they had a chance to leave the field.
Lawrence Shankland was in the thick of it and the Hearts skipper eventually had to be led away by police after several Celtic supporters had physically confronted him.
Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland had to be escorted off by stewards
Shankland opened the scoring at Parkhead but Celtic fought back to win 3-1
Hearts defender Frankie Kent is confronted by a Celtic fan
‘Heart of Midlothian utterly condemns the shameful scenes at Celtic Park this afternoon which have, once again, embarrassed Scottish football,’ read a club statement.
‘Reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere, are deeply disturbing. We are investigating this fully and are in dialogue with Police Scotland.
‘We will make no further comment at this time other than to say that it is completely unacceptable that our players and staff were put in that situation.’
There was confusion over whether or not the match was over after Osmand scored, given that there were 30 seconds left to play plus any further stoppages.
The match was effectively stopped prematurely, despite the fact there was still time left to play. But Hearts players were ushered down the tunnel by police and security staff.
On the advice of Police Scotland, and with fears for their safety, the Hearts players and staff then left the stadium within 20 minutes of full-time whilst still wearing their match kit.
The team bus had to be given a police escort away from the stadium as Celtic fans had already started gathering outside and were seen taunting the visitors.
As such, none of the Hearts players or management were able to conduct any media duties, with the bus being given a raucous ovation by their own fans once they arrived back in Edinburgh.
‘Given the menacing and threatening atmosphere inside the stadium, our entire staff had no alternative but to leave immediately, without undertaking post-match media duties,’ the Hearts statement continued.
Shankland is gutted as long-time league leaders Hearts were pipped to the title by Celtic
‘To our media partners, we apologise, but the safety of our staff was our prime focus during these unacceptable scenes.
‘The pitch invasion caused a chaotic end and nobody seemed to know whether or not the match had been brought to a finish.
‘Our players were then denied the opportunity to thank our magnificent fans – sensational to a person – for their backing this afternoon and all season long.
‘We expect the strongest action possible to be taken by the footballing authorities in the interests of protecting the safety of players and supporters, and the integrity of our game.
‘This season has seen Hearts capture the imagination of football fans, not only in Scotland, but the world over.
‘We pay tribute to Derek McInnes, his staff, the first team and the supporters, who have done the club proud this season. None of them deserved the disgraceful scenes that unfolded.’
Celtic fans celebrate in the Trongate area after their club won a 56th league title
Police Scotland, Celtic, the SPFL and the SFA have all been approached for comment.
Meanwhile, Thousands of Celtic supporters once again gathered in the Trongate area last night, with Police Scotland clashing with yobs who threw glass bottles and other missiles.
An update from Police Scotland read: ‘We are responding to disorder in the Trongate area of Glasgow.
‘Officers went into the crowd to assist with a medical emergency and were faced with significant levels of hostility, with bottles and other missiles thrown at them.
‘Decisive action is now being taken to disperse those gathered. For safety reasons, all members of the public are being asked to leave the area.’
