Martin O’Neill Sends Stern Warning to Danny Rohl Amid VAR Fury Following Celtic’s Title Triumph
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill has broken his silence and sent a direct warning to Rangers manager Danny Rohl following a series of controversial comments made in the aftermath of Celtic’s dramatic Scottish Premiership title win — and the fallout shows no signs of dying down.**
It was supposed to be a moment of pure celebration. Celtic’s stunning 3-1 victory over Hearts on the final day of the season delivered the club their 14th Scottish Premiership title in 15 years, denying Hearts their first top-flight crown since 1960 in the most dramatic of circumstances. Daizen Maeda’s decisive goal, initially ruled out for offside before a VAR check confirmed it was legitimate, sent Celtic Park into absolute pandemonium. But the celebrations were quickly overshadowed by a storm of controversy that has since engulfed Scottish football.
At the centre of the firestorm is Rangers manager Danny Rohl, whose post-match comments following Celtic’s 3-1 Old Firm victory raised eyebrows across the country. Rohl pointed to what he described as “crucial” VAR decisions that he felt went against his side throughout the run-in, including Johnston’s controversial non-red card and a Yang Hyun-jun equaliser that stood despite apparent offside concerns involving Jack Butland’s sightline. While Rohl stopped short of making explosive accusations, his pointed remarks were enough to draw a fierce response from the Celtic dugout.
O’Neill, who masterminded one of the most remarkable title comebacks in recent Scottish football history after stepping in during a season of turbulence at Parkhead, is understood to be furious at the narrative being pushed from Ibrox. Sources close to the Celtic camp suggest the Irishman feels Rohl’s comments were a deliberate attempt to undermine the legitimacy of Celtic’s title triumph — and he will not allow that to stand unchallenged.
“Danny Rohl needs to be very careful with what he’s saying,” O’Neill is reported to have told those around him. “We won that title on the pitch. My players deserve every ounce of credit and I won’t let anyone disrespect what they achieved.”
The controversy doesn’t begin and end with Rangers. Hearts boss Derek McInnes branded a late VAR-awarded Celtic penalty at Motherwell “disgusting,” a decision that proved pivotal in keeping the title race alive heading into the final day. The Foundation of Hearts even released a formal statement expressing being “extremely concerned” by a string of refereeing and VAR decisions across the final weeks of the campaign.
With the Scottish FA yet to fully address the mounting pressure from multiple clubs, and rumours swirling that legal representation is being explored by parties unhappy with refereeing outcomes this season, Scottish football finds itself in deeply uncomfortable territory.
For O’Neill, however, the message is clear — Celtic earned this title through determination, quality, and the brilliance of players like Daizen Maeda, and no amount of post-season noise will take that away.
The Celtic boss has spoken. The question now is whether Rohl will respond.