...and says 'the authorities will be looking at it, I don't want to say anything more about that'
Clearly, Hearts are pursuing some kind of action. If players were assaulted, you would think that action would have to be severe. If there wasn't evidence they were assaulted, no way he says this. Also, not necessarily assaulted on the pitch in front of cameras.
I would say this isn't done yet...
The vibrant underdogs were denied a title by ludicrously biased officiating spread over several games which favoured the champions and tipped a tight race in their favour, and not in a minor way but by a significant points swing.
On the final day, the underdogs were assaulted on the pitch by the fans of the champions while the match was still ongoing.
As a result of the champions' fans storming the pitch and assaulting the players of the underdogs, the match had to be abandoned before time was up.
If that happened in Moldova, you would be appalled.
A very similar thing happened recently in another country (Czech Rep), and the team responsible forfeited the match. But in Scotland, the champions are unlikely to face more than a fine. Scotland has less competent officiating than a country that was still a Communist dictatorship when Nirvana started touring.
This is why, until this season, no-one outside Scotland gave the slightest toss about Scottish football.
Not the two club dominance, at least not that on its own, but the fact that the two club dominance is enabled by levels of corruption and incompetence which you typically wouldn't expect to see outside a Banana Republic.
I don't care that Celtic won - I do, but it's not hard to shake an opponent by the hand after a fierce contest. I care they won because the deck was stacked in their favour. I care that their fans are allowed to run on the pitch and assault players and enforce the abandonment of the game with few-to-no likely consequences.
Scottish football will NEVER grow unless this is addressed. Those international audiences who flocked to the league in the last weeks won't be coming back in a hurry. Sky will continue to pay the Scottish leagues £150m for broadcast rights while the EFL pockets £935m. The consistent income Scottish clubs need to grow will stay in England, and Spain, and Germany, and leagues where there are competent officials and actual consequences for behaviour of the kind we saw today. Where there are actual adults in rooms where adults are needed. And all of Scottish football will suffer, including the national team.
"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."
Clauuuuuuudiooooo...
There's been something about that lyric all season... it's such a good line... We've literally been singing it at this lad all season long, putting it in his head...
And here we are, last game, winner takes all, time for someone to have their finest hour...
I believe...
I'm a newb. I moved up to E'burgh 4yrs ago, and live a short walk from Tynecastle so started coming along to the odd game.
My first game was the 4-3 defeat to Celtic in Oct '22. Took me a while to get into it, but by Naismith's term I was pretty involved and by Critchley I had a maroon and white scarf and went to about half the home games.
When Del was appointed, I got excited. The talk about bringing in big physical players, pressing the opponent and turning Tynecastle into a fortress was music to my ears, exactly what I wanted to see. I went to the early season league cup games, and by the opening game against Aberdeen a) I really thought Hearts had a shot at second over Martin's Rangers and b) I was truly, deeply hooked.
I started watching Sportscene instead of Match of the Day. I'd watch Motherwell v Kilmarnock instead of Liverpool v Chelsea. The first thing I'd whack on YouTube of a morning as I got showered and dressed for work would be the Hearts Standard boys' latest video.
I've been to every home game this season, getting tickets through the exchange. I logged on at bang on 10am to get tickets for the big games and just about managed it. I was there to see Halkett see off Hibs in injury time, to see Magnusson see off Hibs in the last minute, and I went undercover in the home end at Easter Road to see Spittal's winner. I was there to see Celtic put to the sword under Rodgers, to see Rangers brushed aside the first time and the second time, to see Braga equalize against Celtic when we were without Shanks and Cammy, to see that brilliant, easy, assured, swaggering win against Falkirk on Wednesday and to feel all the disappointment at full-time as news came through the transistor radios. My favourite game, oddly, was actually the 2-0 against St Mirren when Beni was sent off early on. I was sure that was where the wheels would come off... only they didn't. Hearts were magnificent. Fully deserved 2-0 with a man less for almost the whole game.
It's the first time in my life I've been a regular match-goer anywhere. What a season and what team and what a stadium to do it in.
And now - well, the Celtic pen is outraging... but also, it's *perfect*.
The boys will be FULL of righteous fury as they walk out at Celtic Park. They'll refuse to let a once in a lifetime win be cheated out from under them. It's a chance to turn injustice into justice in front of an international audience the likes of which Scottish football has never seen before and may never see again. The stage is set for Braga, the smiling boy from the Norwegian 2nd division, to volley in a 92nd minute equalizer that wins the title for Hearts, and to make himself immortal. I can see them wheeling away to the 700-odd maroon-clad fans now, Cammy and Shankland grabbing him by the face, Del rage-pumping the air, Celtic Park silenced and knowing full well in their heart of hearts that justice has been served.
I truly, honestly, believe.
Come on Hearts. You're there. It's yours. It's PERFECT.
...asking for a friend.
Rangers’ James Tavernier under fire over cruel and illegal ear-cropping of dogs | Glasgow Times
Ear cropping of dogs – Dogs.ie Help
"Performing of these modifications such as ear cropping is purely done for cosmetic reasons, serves no purpose, and causes the animals a lot of pain and anguish throughout their entire lives."
Here's a fun subplot from Monday:
Beaton was roughly as much of a prick as he's ever been. I lost count of the amount of clear fouls by Rangers players that he let go and 50-50s that he gave against Hearts. No flagrant penalty or stupid red, admittedly, but general game management was corrupt as fuck. Genuinely ludicrous that officiating as biased as that can be allowed in the modern game - that everyone knows he supports Rangers, that he's gonna favour Rangers, and then he gets the Rangers game and shows up, live on Sky, and clearly favours Rangers. I don't know what the fuck goes on behind closed doors (which Rangers official has a word with which SPFL official to make sure their man gets that game, which must've happened) but it's insane that that can happen (and, okay, could be coincidence couldn't it, but you'd think not).
And yet - HE COULDN'T STOP HEARTS. His bullshit was brushed aside.
Now that is lovely.
Fuck it, I do know why:
* the feeling of the win at Easter Road, the boys all vibing with the crowd after, how that will've stayed with the team and solidified the sense of 'we really can do this'
* the insane atmosphere there's gonna be in Tynecastle - everyone's gonna be a couple of pints deep, and Colin Chisholm singing before the game...
* so much at stake, and Hearts so close, with the pressure all on Rangers - we can lose and it's not even the end of the world, they HAVE to win
I think we'll win by at least 2 clear goals. I'm saying 3-0.