Celtic told to brace for potential league ‘points deduction’

A former PGMOL chief has suggested Celtic could face a ‘points deduction’ following the pitch invasion that marred their Scottish Premiership title-clinching win over Hearts.

Thousands of Celtic supporters flooded the pitch at Celtic Park on Saturday, moments after Callum Osmand’s 97th-minute goal sealed the title in dramatic fashion. However, the celebrations quickly turned sour as some fans appeared to target Hearts players, who were hurried down the tunnel amid safety concerns.

Hearts later confirmed their players and staff were subjected to “serious physical and verbal abuse”, condemning the scenes as “deeply disturbing”, “shameful” and “unacceptable”. The club also revealed it is in contact with Police Scotland and called for firm action.

“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,” Hearts said.

Celtic have since apologised and confirmed they will cooperate fully with Police Scotland and the SPFL as investigations continue.

With the Scottish FA yet to deliver a verdict, former referee chief Keith Hackett believes a replay is unlikely and that sanctions could instead impact Celtic next season.

“The Scottish FA will be carrying out a review fairly quickly, I’d have thought, of what took place,” Hackett told Football Insider. “There is a series of challenges that they must find the answer to. The fans came onto the pitch when, for what they considered to be, the end of the game. Was it the end of the game?

“The general practice is to restart the game after a goal is scored. They’ve got to clarify if the game was formally ended, and how that conclusion was reached. Or was the incursion onto the pitch the deciding factor?

“If he didn’t blow the whistle, the Scottish FA have a difficult task. Are they going to issue a replay? It’s unlikely. A dozen and one will be on planes flying across the world.”

Hackett added: “The idea of a replay is an impossibility. I think the leaning will be towards, potentially, a points deduction at the start of next season. That might be what they consider the right outcome.”