Hearts have hit back at Celtic manager Martin O'Neill after his recent comments on talkSPORT, where he disagreed with the Jambos' assessment that the pitch invasion at Parkhead had 'embarrassed Scottish football'.
The Edinburgh side lost out on the Scottish Premiership title after Celtic beat them 3-1 on the final day of the season. There was a pitch invasion that resulted in the referee having to blow his whistle early, but the Jambos seem certain in the fact that they could've done something in those last few seconds.
So, they've decided to contact the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Professional Football League over their concerns about the 'premature ending of the match'.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Hearts said: "As previously noted, the Club is investigating events before, during and after the match, and will offer Police Scotland our full support as they continue with their enquiries.
"We have also written to the SFA and SPFL setting out our observations and questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the premature ending of the match, and expressing our concern 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. We have asked them for a prompt response to the points we have raised.
"The incursion of spectators onto the field of play must never be condoned under any circumstances, and the seriousness of the potential consequences must be fully understood by supporters and clubs alike.
"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. 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."
The real problem is clear, and it isn't O'Neill
Hearts are trying to paint out that O'Neill defending Celtic supporters during the week was 'highly irresponsible', when really, they are the ones who have already made public comments that could be categorised like that.
In their original statement after the match, they accused Hoops fans of physically attacking Hearts players. There has never been any evidence to suggest this and it was a dangerous precedent to put that out to the public without direct proof, but sadly, they don't see the issue.
Of course, pitch invasions aren't right and they need to be snuffed out of the game, but we can't blame fans for getting too excited over a dramatic league win. It was an incredible occasion, and although things got a bit out of hand, no-one was hurt.
We'll have to wait and see how their conversation with the SFA and SPFL goes, but as things stand, the referee blew his whistle and the title is ours. That won't change, as much as the Jambos are desperate for it to. Celtic won it fair and square, and they will have to live with that.
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