Hearts have expressed concern that a troubling precedent was set after their Scottish Premiership title decider against Celtic was ended early following a pitch invasion.The Edinburgh club confirmed on Wednesday that they had written to Scottish football authorities regarding what they described as the circumstances surrounding the premature ending of the match.Callum Osmands stoppage-time winner secured Celtic a 3-1 win on Saturday and confirmed the title for the Glasgow club.Moments after the goal, hundreds of Celtic supporters flooded onto the pitch as celebrations erupted, forcing Hearts players to leave the field quickly.Table of ContentsHearts Question Early Conclusion of MatchHearts Criticise Martin ONeill CommentsHearts Question Early Conclusion of MatchAlthough eight minutes of stoppage time had been indicated, the match appeared to end before the full period had elapsed.The Scottish Professional Football League later clarified that the referee considered the game finished rather than abandoned.In a statement, Hearts said they were concerned about the implications of the incident.Our concern is that a troubling precedent has been set whereby a pitch invasion can effectively determine the duration of a football match, rather than the match officials, the club said.We have asked them for a prompt response to the points we have raised.The defeat denied Hearts a first Scottish league title since 1960, while Celtic secured their fifth consecutive championship and 14th in the last 15 seasons.Hearts Criticise Martin ONeill CommentsHearts also urged the authorities to treat the pitch invasion seriously and criticised comments made by former Celtic manager Martin ONeill earlier this week.Speaking on talkSPORT, ONeill described suggestions that the scenes embarrassed Scottish football as nonsense and claimed there had been a lot of hyperbole surrounding the reaction.The 74-year-old stopped short of condemning supporters who entered the field.In response, Hearts released a strongly worded statement.We are aware of highly irresponsible comments made publicly this week, which appear to seek to defend those who entered the pitch on Saturday and undermine the gravity of the situation, the statement read.Those remarks carry dangerous implications, and we call upon the football authorities to ensure that this matter is addressed with the seriousness it demands, and with the full cooperation of all involved. Topics Celtic F.C. Hearts Scottish Premiership Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Celtic 3-1 Hearts: Report, result and goals as Bhoys seal fifth consecutive Scottish title Mitch Fretton 16th May, 2026 Celtic v Hearts: Preview, predicted line-ups & where to watch Scottish title decider Jon Fisher 15th May, 2026 Scottish Premiership title race goes down to sensational final-day decider between Celtic and Hearts after dramatic midweek wins Cian Cheesbrough 13th May, 2026 Celtic 3-1 Rangers: Maeda scores incredible overhead kick to keep pressure on Hearts Jon Fisher 10th May, 2026 Celtic v Rangers: Confirmed team news and line-ups for crunch Old Firm clash Jon Fisher 10th May, 2026 Celtic v Rangers: Line-ups, preview and where to watch Old Firm clash that could hand Hearts title Nicholas McGee 8th May, 2026
