On Wednesday night at Fir Park, home of Motherwell FC, an incident occurred which seems destined for the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, such has been the societal meltdown that’s followed in its wake.

Celtic, pride of Glasgow’s east end and representing the global Irish diaspora, were awarded a penalty kick in the final seconds of a game that they scarce deserved to win. They duly scored from it and are now fancied to lift their 56th league championship title (a new record haul) when they face Hearts on Saturday afternoon.

To some, the penalty fell into the “seen them given category”. A Motherwell player, challenging for the ball, seemed to use his hand in doing so, while also appearing to strike the head of Celtic’s attacker with his forearm. To others, it was an act of larceny favouring a powerful club as their long reign at the top of Scottish football was facing its stiffest challenge.

Had Celtic not been awarded that penalty, then they’d have been required to defeat Hearts, the best team in Scotland right now, by a three-goal margin. Even their most optimistic supporters would have considered this beyond the capabilities of this dysfunctional and mis-firing Celtic team. Now, a single-goal win will suffice.

In any other year, the ramifications of that penalty incident in Motherwell would have been banal. This season though, Hearts are on the cusp of winning their first league title in 66 years. If they can avoid defeat at Parkhead tomorrow afternoon they’ll become the first team to have broken the duopoly of Celtic and Rangers which has won every championship since 1985. 

Hearts’ fairy-tale challenge had already captured the imagination of news agencies around the world. “Have the Straits of Hormuz opened yet? And how are the Hearts doing?”

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This team has been formed according to the principals of the Jamestown Analytics system introduced by the sports gambler and impresario, Tony Bloom. This underground revolution specialises in sourcing pieces of silver from between the cracks in the paving stones passed over by the big European clubs.

Under the astute........

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