SPFL administrators confirmed the late spot-kick successfully prevented a catastrophic drop in weekend television viewership.
Scottish Professional Football League executives commended match officials on Wednesday for the flawless on-field execution of a 99th-minute penalty for Celtic, noting the late whistle was deployed perfectly to avert a steep decline in final-day broadcast ratings.
Hearts manager Derek McInnes called the spot-kick "disgusting" and claimed his side was "up against everybody," a statement league administrators dismissed as a fundamental misunderstanding of his club's designated corporate function. The stoppage-time penalty ensured the Scottish Premiership title race will go to a highly lucrative final-day decider on Saturday, fulfilling a critical fourth-quarter deliverable for the league's global distribution partners.
While we understand Derek's frustration on a purely athletic level, you simply cannot allow an organic sporting outcome to jeopardize a heavily marketed Old Firm title decider.
League lawyers confirmed that had the referee failed to identify a credible foul in the Hearts penalty area by the 98th minute, broadcast contingency protocols dictated that a Celtic forward would be permitted to simply carry the ball into the net with his hands.
The SPFL's disciplinary committee is currently reviewing McInnes's post-match comments to determine if his defenders' failure to immediately clear a path for the penalty constitutes a breach of the league's commercial integrity guidelines.