The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has confirmed referee Don Robertson ended the game when some Celtic fans invaded the pitch in the eighth minute of stoppage time of the Scottish Premiership title decider against Hearts.
There were 30 seconds of injury time remaining when Celtic’s Callum Osmand finished into an empty net to effectively seal the title, with Hearts requiring two goals.
However, the Hearts players were taken off the pitch for their safety when hundreds of Celtic players flooded the pitch in celebration, with some confronting the visiting players.
The game did not restart, with Celtic crowned champions, but the SPFL has confirmed that referee Robertson communicated that the match was over and it had not been abandoned.
“Firstly, we send our congratulations to Celtic on winning the Premiership in the most exciting of circumstances and send our commiserations to everyone at Heart of Midlothian following an incredible campaign,” a statement said.
“We would also like to thank the referee and his excellent team of match officials for their cool heads on such a dramatic day. Given the speculation about the conclusion of the game, we would like to make clear that, prior to awarding the trophy, we were informed by the match referee that the match had ended and had not been abandoned.”
Meanwhile, the SPFL condemned the scenes at full-time, with Hearts in dialogue with Police Scotland over “disturbing” reports of “serious physical and verbal abuse towards players and staff”.
Police Scotland have also vowed to take “robust and swift action” against anybody found to have committed criminality as the SPFL condemned the “wholly unacceptable” pitch invasion.
“Yesterday’s match showed off the very best of the Scottish game and the drama and excitement that it is rightly famed for,” the statement said. “The eyes of the world were on Glasgow and the climax of the Premiership, with millions of viewers watching the match on Sky Sports and across the globe.
“However, we utterly condemn the scenes which saw a number of Celtic supporters encroach onto the field of play. We await the report of our match delegate regarding any specific incidents that took place but, regardless, supporters entering the field of play in any circumstances is wholly unacceptable and puts those participating and working at a match at risk.
“We note that entering the pitch in England and Wales has been a criminal offence since 1991. We urge anyone with information about any alleged criminal activity to contact Police Scotland.”
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said on Sunday morning that police investigations are ongoing. “We spoke to Hearts yesterday,” he told the Press Association. “We’re following that up to understand if any player was assaulted.
“If any player, or indeed any member of the public, has been assaulted on that pitch, and there is criminality, we will take robust and swift action.
“The club (Celtic) are responsible for safety and security and the planning of the stadium. Police provide a supporting role in that to look at any criminality, any policing response that is required, and we are continuing to do that.
“So, if there is any criminality, whether that be the allegations of assault against Hearts players or anything else, then our post investigation will pick that up, and we will take the most robust action possible.”
