Hearts players 'assaulted' at Celtic Park, says Tony Bloom

Hearts minority investor Tony Bloom claims players were “assaulted” at Celtic Park during Saturday’s title decider.

And the runners-up in this year’s Scottish Premiership also released a statement on Wednesday, condemning “highly irresponsible comments made publicly” in the wake of the scenes at Parkhead.

Celtic fans streamed onto the pitch following Callum Osmand’s goal deep in injury time as the Hoops sealed a dramatic title victory.

The game did not restart, with the SPFL saying in a statement they had been informed by referee Don Robertson that the match had ended and had not been abandoned.

Bloom claimed on talkSport on Wednesday that “Hearts players were in danger, one or two were assaulted, it was completely unacceptable”.

The Jambos squad, alongside boss Derek McInnes, were escorted out of the stadium immediately following the end of the game. Celtic apologised to Hearts in a statement on Monday.

Hoops boss Martin O’Neill said in an interview on talkSport on Monday that Hearts’ claims that the pitch invasion had “embarrassed” Scottish football were “nonsense”.

Hearts said on Wednesday: “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.”

Hearts did not clarify in their latest update whether they felt there had been any alleged assaults on their players.

The statement continued: “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 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.”

Celtic said on Monday: “The Club regrets that our victory over Hearts was followed by a number of individuals entering the field of play.

“We again emphasise that there is no justification for this behaviour which, for the vast majority of Celtic supporters, only detracts from the joy of such occasions.

“Celtic will co-operate fully with any investigation and with the SPFL in their own processes.

“We also apologise to Hearts for the situation encountered by their players and staff at the conclusion of the game, and for the fact that these events prevented them from saluting their own supporters at the end of an enthralling campaign, to which they have contributed so much.”

In a statement issued late on Saturday night, Police Scotland said: “We are engaging with Heart of Midlothian FC to establish if any of their players were assaulted on the pitch at the conclusion of the event. The circumstances of the incident are being reviewed.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said on Wednesday: “Enquiries remain ongoing.”