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If I want to talk about the referee I’ll be in big trouble, Heart captain Lawrence Shankland delivered all time Rant after Celtic clash
*“If I want to talk about the referee I’ll be in big trouble” – Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland delivers all-time rant after Celtic clash*
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland didn’t hold back after his side’s 1-1 draw with Celtic at Celtic Park – but he couldn’t say everything he wanted to.
“If I want to talk about the referee I’ll be in big trouble,” Shankland said, before letting rip anyway in a post-match interview that’s already being called one of the best rants of the season.
*The flashpoint*
Hearts led 1-0 at half-time through Shankland’s penalty after Alistair Johnston was adjudged to have handled in the box. Celtic equalized early in the second half through Daizen Maeda, but the game turned in the 78th minute when Hearts felt they should have had a second penalty.
Nicolas Kühn appeared to clip Alex Cochrane as he drove into the box. Referee Nick Walsh waved play on, and VAR didn’t intervene. Hearts players surrounded the official at full-time, with Shankland leading the protest.
“It’s a penalty. Every day of the week,” Shankland said. “I don’t know what they’re looking at. If that’s not a penalty, I don’t know what is.”
*“I’ll be in big trouble”*
When asked about the officiating, Shankland paused and laughed. “If I want to talk about the referee I’ll be in big trouble. So I won’t.”
He didn’t stop there.
“But it’s the same story every week. We get decisions against us, we get told it’s ‘subjective’, and nothing changes. The boys are fuming in there. We deserved to win that game.”
Shankland pointed to the earlier penalty Hearts were denied against Motherwell, which Willie Collum later admitted should have been given. “We’re getting apologies after the game. That doesn’t help us. We need points now.”
*Hearts’ frustration boils over*
Hearts are 4th in the Premiership, but the draw at Celtic Park felt like two points dropped in the race for European football. Manager Derek McInnes was equally blunt: “I’ve seen it back. It’s a penalty. I don’t know why it wasn’t given.”
McInnes revealed he’s spoken to Collum multiple times this season about key decisions. “He agrees with us after the fact. But we need them to get it right in the moment.”
The frustration is shared across the league. Motherwell captain Paul McGinn went viral last week for saying “something’s clearly amiss” with VAR. Michael Stewart called the Hearts-Motherwell non-penalty “wild”.
*Shankland’s season on hold*
The rant came after Shankland had just ended a 12-game goal drought with his penalty. The 29-year-old has been linked with a move away, but said after the game that he’s focused on Hearts’ run-in.
“I’m here to score goals and fight for this club,” he said. “But it’s hard when you feel like you’re fighting everyone.”
He added that the squad’s anger is a good sign. “We care. If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t be shouting after the game. We believe we should be higher up the table.”
*What happens next*
Shankland won’t face SFA action for his comments – he avoided naming the referee directly, and the “I’ll be in big trouble” line gives him plausible deniability. But the message was clear.
The SFA has been under pressure all season over VAR consistency. Derek McInnes said earlier this month that Collum “agrees Hearts should have had a penalty” against Motherwell. Nothing has changed.
Hearts host Dundee United next, and Shankland will be expected to lead the line again. Whether he’ll get a fair chance from the officials is another question.
For now, his rant has given Hearts fans a voice. As one supporter posted: “Say it louder, Shankland. We’re all thinking it.”
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