Hearts call for 'fair opportunity' in title finale

Breaking news from the world of sport: Hearts call for 'fair opportunity' in title finaleImage source, SNSImage caption, Hearts fans watch the closing stages of Celtic's match at MotherwellByGeorge O'NeillBBC Sport ScotlandPublished14 May 2026Hearts' owners have pleaded for the destination of the Scottish Premiership title to be "decided by the players on the pitch" rather than by match officials. After it was announced that Don Robertson will take charge of Saturday's decider with Celtic, the Foundation of Hearts (FoH) fans group - majority shareholders of the club - said the Tynecastle outfit had concerns about recent decisions. On Wednesday, Celtic were awarded contentious last-gasp penalty, which Kelechi Iheanacho converted to earn the defending champions a 3-2 victory.

That result, coupled with Hearts' 3-0 win over Falkirk, means Celtic trail by one point going into the final-day showdown. Robertson will be aided by assistant referees Calum Spence and David Roome, while Kevin Clancy and assistant Matthew MacDermid will be the VAR officials. FoH chairman Gerry Mallon has called for "the highest standards of decision-making" so that the destination of the title is "decided by the players on the pitch and the team is given the fair opportunity it has earned".

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In a statement on behalf of the foundation, Mallon congratulated Hearts and Derek McInnes "on their outstanding achievements in this momentous season". But he added they had been "extremely concerned by a number of refereeing and VAR decisions across the last two rounds of fixtures". Celtic and Hearts face title decider as McInnes slams 'disgusting' call Published1 day agoPenalty pandemonium sets up Hearts & Celtic showdown for the ages Published1 day agoHow controversial VAR calls have defined two title battles Published12 hours ago Figure caption, A huge moment in the Scottish Premiership title race"That this has occurred at such a crucial stage of the season is particularly disappointing," the statement read.

"We understand the club shares these concerns and has made representations to the authorities seeking clarification. "In Saturday's 1-1 draw at Motherwell, Hearts had two penalty claims turned down, the second one after referee Steven McLean had gone to the monitor to review it. Manager McInnes raised the incident with head of refereeing Willie Collum and was "satisfied" he "was in agreement" with the Tynecastle club.

In Sunday's 3-1 home win for Celtic over Rangers, the hosts' Alistair Johnston was booked for a first-half challenge on Mikey Moore, with some pundits suggesting it should have been a red card. Rangers head coach Danny Rohl indicated they would be raising that and Celtic's first goal, citing a similar incident in Rangers' December win over Motherwell in which the Ibrox side had a goal disallowed for offside. Mallon added: "At a time when Scottish football is subject to heightened scrutiny, it is important that confidence in officiating standards is maintained.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.