Hearts condemn ‘shameful’ post-match scenes in furious statement as players in tears upon return

Hearts have called for ‘the strongest action possible to be taken’ following a ‘shameful’ end to their clash against Celtic.

The Hoops prevailed 3-1 at Celtic Park to claim the Scottish Premiership title.

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However, the contest was marred by a pitch invasion at the end following Celtic’s third goal.

Amid the chaotic scenes, a number of Hearts players appeared to be verbally abused by taunting Celtic fans while reports emerged of some players even being physically abused.

In a furious statement, Hearts described the reports of physical and verbal abuse as ‘deeply disturbing’ and confirmed they were in dialogue with Police Scotland over the ugly incidents.

The club also explained why the players and staff were forced to immediately leave the ground without even getting an opportunity to get changed after the match.

Hearts’ statement

“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,” Hearts said.

“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.

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“None of them deserved the disgraceful scenes that unfolded.”

Broken Hearts galore

Despite the agonising defeat, which meant Hearts missed out on their first Scottish Premiership since 1960, fans turned out in their numbers at Tynecastle to welcome back the players.

However, the heartbreak of it all was evident on a number of the Jambos’ players.

Cameron Devlin, Frankie Kent, Stuart Findlay and Jamie McCart were all seen visibly in tears after coming off the team bus.

Their devastation was understandable given Hearts had sat top of the Scottish Premiership for 226 days since the start of October.

Unfortunately for the Edinburgh outfit, the one day they did not was the day that mattered most as Celtic became champions of Scotland for a 56th time.