Callum Osmand of Celtic goes through on goal to score against Hearts.
Two rather contrasting games across British TV today. Hearts were left broken on Sky Sports, as Celtic scored late to claim the Scottish Premiership. Things descended into chaos as the fans invaded the pitch. Meanwhile, at Wembley, and on BBC/TNT Sports, there was more risk of the fans falling asleep.
Celtic vs Hearts Streaming Shambles
Sadly for expat Scots in the US, and anyone else in the country who actually want to watch the game, there was a streaming shambles. Per Adam Crafton at The Athletic:
The match was listed during the first half to be available for streaming on Paramount+, the over the top streaming service owned by Paramount Skydance, for viewers in the United States. However, when subscribers to the platform clicked to tune in for the game (which kicked off at 7.30am ET), they received a message that said “fatal error: we’re having trouble playing this video… check your internet connection or router and try again.”
CBS had apparently decided to only show the game on CBS Sports Network. However, the promo for Paramount+ had remained.
Hundreds invaded the pitch at the end. There are reports of verbal and physical attacks on Hearts players. The club issued a statement. It said:
Given the menacing and threatening atmosphere inside the stadium, our entire staff had no alternative but to leave immediately, without undertaking post-match media duties. To our media partners, we apologise but the safety of our staff was our prime focus during these unacceptable scenes.
Later images show the players returning to Tynecastle still in their match kits. They had been unable to change at Celtic Park, amidst the pitch invasion. We will have to see what comes out of the inevitable investigation.
Man City Claim Dull Cup final
A wonderful goal by Antoine Semenyo was the highlight as Man City beat Chelsea 1-0 in an FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola’s men get their second trophy of the season. Here’s how the TNT Sports commentary team reacted:
I was pleased to see Mark Chapman leading the Beeb’s coverage. No longer is he number two to Gary Lineker. At least he, Wayne Rooney, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge put suits on for the occasion. More than you can say about the managers.
Overall, it was a really poor cup final, though, unfortunately. Maybe that’s for the best, as we all needed to calm down after the events at Celtic Park.
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