Hearts wanted answers from the SFA, but the latest Celtic Park VAR audio twist has badly backfired on them.
Anthony Joseph revealed that Hearts chairman Calum Paterson had already reviewed the footage with SFA refereeing chiefs on Monday.
Crucially, the understanding was that the material would remain private until Hearts released their public statement.
That changes the entire tone of this story and it makes the Tynecastle club’s conduct look embarrassing.
Just how badly has the SFA’s VAR audio from the Premiership finale reflected on Hearts…
Hearts already had access to the Celtic Park VAR audio
For days, the public narrative painted Hearts as a club left furious by Scottish football authorities and forced into taking a stand. The reality now looks far more complicated.
Hearts had already been given the opportunity to review the incident privately with the SFA. Dialogue had already taken place. The issue was already being handled behind closed doors.
That is why the latest clarification matters so much. It completely undermines the idea that Hearts were somehow ignored or denied answers by the authorities.
Hearts forced the SFA into a public response
The SFA themselves reportedly only released the audio and footage publicly because of Hearts’ statement. That is the key detail many people missed.
Referee audio and VAR discussions are not routinely released in Scottish football. These situations are normally handled privately. Yet Hearts’ public escalation forced the issue into the open.
That is why this now looks like a major own goal from Tynecastle. Hearts attempted to occupy the moral high ground publicly while already knowing the review process had taken place privately.
The Celtic Park fallout became more embarrassing than the original issue
Instead of calming tensions, Hearts’ statement helped drag the situation into another damaging public row for Scottish football.
The debate stopped being about the actual incident and became focused on public grandstanding, leaks and reactive statements. That is where the real embarrassment now sits.
Early public framing heavily criticised Celtic and their supporters, but the latest details show the story was never as straightforward as many initially claimed.
Hearts had private access.
Hearts had communication with the SFA.
Hearts still chose to escalate things publicly anyway.
In the end, that decision appears to be the very reason the SFA felt forced to release the audio in the first place.
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