NafisaHeart of Midlothian F.C. tonight blasted the disgraceful scenes at Celtic Park after suffering a 3-1 defeat in the Scottish Premiership title showdown. Thousands of Celtic F.C. supporters poured onto the pitch after Callum Osmand netted their third goal in the 97th minute.
A number of fans reportedly confronted Hearts players, with several allegedly approached aggressively before stewards and police guided them quickly down the tunnel.
Hearts departed the stadium immediately despite players still wearing their full match strips. They boarded the team coach and were escorted out of Glasgow by police.
Celtic were officially confirmed as champions after a lengthy delay to clear supporters from the playing surface, while Hearts headed back to Tynecastle.
The Edinburgh side have now issued a strong response regarding the incidents following the match as they look into reports of alleged physical assault on players and staff members.
Their statement read: “Heart of Midlothian utterly condemns the shameful scenes at Celtic Park this afternoon which have, once again, embarrassed Scottish football.
“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.
“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. 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.”
Thousands of Hearts supporters welcomed the squad as they returned to Gorgie, with several players reportedly emotional at the reception they received. Although the campaign ended in heartbreak, many fans clearly still appreciated the effort and achievement involved in securing second place.
The club have also earned qualification for next season’s Champions League second qualifying round.
This time last year, Hearts were sitting in the bottom half of the league and eventually finished seventh. That led to a managerial change as Derek McInnes swapped Kilmarnock F.C. for Edinburgh and inspired what has turned into a gripping season.
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