Celtic’s victory over Hearts was not abandoned, according to two former referees, amid speculation that the title-winning result could be overturned. It was a dramatic afternoon in Glasgow’s east end as Martin O’Neill guided the Hoops to a fifth consecutive Scottish Premiership title with a 3-1 triumph over the Jambos.
However, chaotic scenes unfolded before the full-time whistle, after substitute Callum Osmand netted the third goal in the 90th minute to clinch the victory. That triggered a pitch invasion by the home support – although loud jeering rang out from their fellow supporters as they spilled onto the Celtic Park turf.
The Hearts players were escorted down the tunnel to safety amid claims they had been “assaulted”, before the Celtic squad celebrated being crowned champions, reports the Daily Record.
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Questions have since emerged on social media over whether referee Don Robertson blew the final whistle – or whether the match had in fact been abandoned. FIFA regulations state that if a game concludes without a final whistle due to a pitch invasion, the referee must abandon the fixture.
The competition’s governing body – in this case the SFA – would then launch an investigation. This could result in the match being replayed or a 3-0 forfeit victory being awarded to the opposing side – which would effectively hand Hearts the league title.
Some fans have pointed to the Prague derby earlier this month as a potential precedent. Slavia were leading Sparta 3-2 in injury time when hundreds of supporters stormed the pitch. Slavia Prague were handed a punishment for the pitch invasion, with the fixture being declared abandoned by the referee.
View 2 ImagesHearts saw their title decider against Celtic end in heartbreak(Image: Getty Images)
Sparta were handed a 3-0 win – leaving the door open for the club to catch their rivals in the Czech title race. Former SFA referees Steve Conroy and Des Roache clarified that the match would not have been abandoned solely because Robertson failed to blow his whistle – pointing out that he is able to signal full-time by other means.
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Taking to The Ref’s View podcast X account, they wrote: “It is up to the referee when the game ends.
“He doesn’t need to blow the whistle, he just needs to signal. The game was not abandoned!” The Celtic Way reports that Robertson has informed SPFL delegates that the match was not abandoned and that the final whistle was indeed blown.
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