Tam McManus is entitled to his opinion, but claiming Hearts were “cost the league” by a refereeing decision is a huge stretch.
Celtic beat Hearts on the final day to win the league but it is the decision to give the Hoops a last-minute penalty against Motherwell that is still eating McManus up.
Even if you accept the decision was wrong, league titles are not decided by one moment in isolation.
Should Celtic comment on the selective outrage after VAR’s reviews of the run-in decision?
Celtic cannot be reduced to one refereeing decision
Speaking on PLZ Soccer, McManus said when discussing Celtic’s penalty against Motherwell, “No, and it’s actually cost Hearts the league that decision.
“And then Celtic getting the penalty decision, which I think the refereeing panel came out last week and said it was a mistake, it wasn’t a penalty.
“That doesn’t help Hearts now, and when you’re in a tight title race, and it’s going down to the last game or two, you need those decisions to be right, and I don’t think either were right.
“And they both went against hearts, and people hark back, and I get all that, but those big decisions you have to be 100 per cent right, because that can decide the outcome of the title, and I think it did in the end.”
There is no argument that officials should get major calls correct. Supporters of every club expect that.
The problem with McManus’ claim is that it attempts to reduce an entire title race to one incident. Football seasons are built across months of matches, not one contentious moment that dominates headlines for a few days.
If Hearts felt aggrieved by a decision, that frustration is understandable. Suggesting it alone determined where the championship ended up is another matter entirely.
Celtic’s title was earned across a full campaign
Championship-winning sides separate themselves through consistency, quality and results over the course of a season.
Every club can point to decisions that went against them. Equally, every club can point to moments where they failed to capitalise on opportunities that were entirely within their control.
That is why McManus’ argument feels so daft. Refereeing mistakes deserve criticism when they happen, but claiming one call “cost Hearts the league” ignores the reality of how titles are won.
Celtic’s success was built over an entire campaign. Reducing that achievement to a single officiating controversy does a disservice to what was accomplished on the pitch.
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