On Sunday afternoon at Hampden, Steven Naismith witnessed another lacklustre display from his team—a pattern that’s become all too familiar during his time in charge of Hearts.
The team’s exit from the League Cup was a disappointment they could only attribute to themselves.
Intriguingly, Naismith’s remarks after the match struck a discordant note. While discussing a penalty decision, he unexpectedly dragged Celtic into the conversation, despite their non-involvement in the fixture.
The controversy began when VAR intervened to overturn what would have been Stephen Kingsley’s second booking for simulation, leading to a penalty that Hearts converted.

Naismith later lamented the original call, suggesting that teams like Celtic and Rangers often receive more favourable treatment from referees in penalty situations. According to him, officials tend to be more reluctant to award penalties to Hearts, preferring to defer to VAR.
It’s an odd claim to make, especially bringing Celtic into the mix in a game they weren’t part of. It seems whenever Rangers are mentioned, Celtic is automatically drawn into the fray, irrespective of their relevance to the situation.
Celtic themselves have had their own issues with officials and VAR recently. Our advice to Steven would be to concentrate on his team’s performance and addressing their shortcomings, rather than focusing on external factors and other teams.
🗣️ “I find it frustrating that the first thought for Celtic and Rangers are penalties and for us it’s a red card, I find that very strange.”
Steven Naismith reacts to Hearts 3-1 defeat against Rangers and his feeling on the penalty incidents during today’s semi-final ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NDdAiLaYIu
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) November 5, 2023