Celtic apologised to Hearts after pitch invasion chaos followed Saturday’s Premiership decider at Parkhead, with two late goals from Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand crowning the champions in a controversial finish. Police Scotland confirmed it is in dialogue wi
Celtic’s 56th Scottish league title celebration at Parkhead spilled into chaos as pitch invaders accosted Hearts players after the final whistle drama overshadowed a dramatic 3-1 win.. The night began with the promise of a thriller—then ended with Celtic apologising to Hearts for the scenes that followed. and police confirming they are now checking whether any Hearts players were assaulted during the disorder.
Two late goals—Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand—sent the Parkhead crowd into rapture. with Osmand running the length of the field to score deep into stoppage-time.. But within moments, hordes of Celtic fans entered the pitch and confronted Hearts players.. There was also bedlam beyond the stadium: the Hearts team bus was ushered away via a police escort. and further violence and disorder erupted across Glasgow city centre as the celebration spilled into the streets.
Celtic moved quickly to address the damage done to the game’s ending.. The club apologised to Hearts’ players and staff, admitting there was no justification for the behaviour of some supporters.. In its statement. Celtic said it “regrets that our victory over Hearts was followed by a number of individuals entering the field of play. ” adding that it emphasised “there is no justification for this behaviour which. for the vast majority of Celtic supporters. only detracts from the joy of such occasions.”
Celtic’s apology extended to the fact that Hearts were denied the chance to properly salute their own supporters after the final action.. The club also said it “apologise[s] to Hearts for the situation encountered by their players and staff at the conclusion of the game. and for the fact that these events prevented them from saluting their own supporters at the end of an enthralling campaign. to which they have contributed so much.” The statement also pledged cooperation. saying Celtic “will co-operate fully with any investigation and with the SPFL in their own processes.”
The apology landed after a separate, urgent dispute over how the match finished refused to go away.. The SPFL insisted earlier on Saturday that the match had not been abandoned prematurely in the wake of the controversy surrounding the final moments.. The league body stressed that the final whistle WAS blown in Celtic’s 3-1 victory over Hearts.
In its statement. the SPFL said: “Firstly. we send our congratulations to Celtic on winning the William Hill Premiership in the most exciting of circumstances and send our commiserations to everyone at Heart of Midlothian following an incredible campaign.” It also thanked the match officials for their “cool heads on such a dramatic day.”
The governing body added a clear rebuttal to speculation: “prior to awarding the trophy. we were informed by the match referee that the match had ended and had not been abandoned.” The SPFL described Saturday’s game as a showpiece for Scottish football. saying “millions of viewers” watched the climax of the Premiership. while it also “utterly condemn[ed] the scenes which saw a number of Celtic supporters encroach onto the field of play.”
Police Scotland confirmed it is now following up with Hearts on the pitch invasion itself.. The force said it is in dialogue with Hearts to establish whether any of their players were assaulted during the chaos.. Police also confirmed actions and injuries connected to the wider disorder in the city centre.
According to Police Scotland, four arrests were made at the stadium, with a further ten arrests made around the Trongate area. Police vowed to take “robust and swift action,” but also pointed to a deeper problem with what happened away from the ground.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: “The large majority of people at the Trongate yesterday were in a celebratory mood and simply wanted to support the victory of their team.” He added that police still “saw significant disorder and anti-social behaviour when police responded to a medical emergency within the crowd.”
Sutherland said a man was found unresponsive after taking unwell and “continues to receive treatment in hospital.” While officers were dealing with the situation, he said they were “came under sustained attack from missiles and bottles,” which resulted in “two of them being seriously injured.”
Sutherland said police “cannot condemn this behaviour strongly enough. It is completely unacceptable.” He also insisted arrests were decisive, saying officers “took decisive action, which was entirely appropriate, to clear those intent on violence and disorder, and make arrests.”
He warned: “The minority of individuals involved will face the most robust action from Police Scotland and partners as we move forward. If you were involved in criminality, expect us to be knocking at your door.”
Police also placed responsibility back on football authorities and Celtic for the wider safety picture.. Sutherland said police had been left “holding the responsibility and accountability for supporters away from the stadium at the Trongate. ” while stressing that Police Scotland already has “strong and positive relationships with Celtic Football Club and Glasgow City Council on a day-to-day basis to keep people safe.”
On this particular issue, Sutherland said “more must be done,” adding: “Celtic FC and football authorities, working with local authorities and Police Scotland, must take greater responsibility. This cannot happen again at any future celebrations.”
The police focus on assaults also brought the attention back to the pitch.. Sutherland said: “We spoke to Hearts yesterday.. We’re following that up to understand if any player was assaulted.” He added that if any player—or any member of the public—was assaulted “on that pitch. and there is criminality. we will take robust and swift action.”
Celtic had to respond not only to the chaos but also to the match-ending confusion that helped fuel it.. In Celtic’s own managerial comments. Martin O’Neill confirmed that the fourth official told him there was still “around a minute left to play” after Osmand’s goal. and that the match was stopped even though “no one inside the stadium having heard referee Don Robertson blow the final whistle.” The SPFL. however. insisted that it had been informed by the match referee before the trophy was awarded that “the match had ended and had not been abandoned.”
That contrast between what people in the stadium experienced and what the match officials signalled played out alongside the wider disorder.. The same weekend sequence—an ending that triggered claims of premature stoppage. followed by pitch encroachment. followed by violence around the Trongate area—appears in the facts as a chain of escalating events. with both the SPFL and Police Scotland repeatedly drawing a line under the security and criminality questions.
As the investigation continues, the Scottish Government also weighed in on the violence and disorder.. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The disgraceful scenes of violence and disorder that took place in Glasgow are completely unacceptable and we strongly condemn all abusive and antisocial behaviour.” The spokesperson added that Police Scotland has “the powers to deal robustly with football-related disorder” and that the Scottish Government “fully support[s] officers to respond appropriately and protect the public.”
The statement noted that the Scottish Government worked with partners including football authorities. fans representatives. local authorities and others on measures to tackle the behaviour.. It also said it had “recently closed a consultation on whether the law on Football Banning Orders should be updated to help tackle various forms of football-related disorder.”
For now. Celtic’s apology to Hearts and Police Scotland’s follow-up on potential assaults are set against the SPFL’s insistence that the match was not abandoned.. Meanwhile. the arrests. serious injuries to two officers. and continued disorder in the Trongate area underline how the title party turned into a test of security planning and accountability for those celebrations that came after the whistle.
Celtic Hearts pitch invasion Parkhead SPFL Osmand Maeda Police Scotland Trongate Derek McInnes William Hill Premiership