PFA Scotland has now entered the debate around the scenes at Celtic Park following Saturday’s dramatic title decider against Hearts.
The fallout from Celtic’s comeback win has continued all week after supporters entered the pitch following Callum Osmand’s late goal which sealed the Premiership title. Hearts later described the scenes as “an embarrassment to Scottish football” while Martin O’Neill strongly defended supporters and accused critics of exaggerating what happened.
Now the players’ union has publicly raised concerns about safety across Scottish football.
The organisation pointed not only to the scenes at Celtic Park but also wider problems this season involving pitch invasions, threats toward players and incidents during SPFL and Scottish Cup matches. That context matters because this has not been an isolated issue over recent months.
The Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox earlier this year also descended into disorder after Celtic’s penalty shootout win, while concerns around crowd behaviour have repeatedly surfaced across the league during the campaign.
PFA Scotland wants changes to how incidents are investigated.
The union believes clubs should not effectively investigate themselves when dealing with disciplinary and safety matters. Instead, they want a more independent process focused directly on player welfare.
Fraser Wishart and PFA Scotland laid out that position in a statement released on X.
PFA Scotland has been consistent in voicing its concerns for our members workplace safety. Despite our previous warnings; pitch invasions, verbal and physical threats and other workplace incidents in the SPFL and Scottish Cup have continued.
PFA Scotland has already raised the… pic.twitter.com/H6a3NkYPOS
— PFA Scotland (@PFAScotland) May 18, 2026
The statement will only increase pressure on the SPFL and SFA to respond formally over the coming days.
At the same time, many Celtic supporters will feel the discussion risks ignoring the scale of emotion around Saturday’s finish. Celtic had just completed one of the most dramatic title comebacks the club has seen after weeks chasing Hearts during the run-in.
That does not remove the safety concerns being raised now.
But it does explain why emotions inside Celtic Park exploded once Osmand’s goal finally settled the title race in stoppage time.
