Hearts say they will demand answers after claiming their club crest was “defaced” during the Scottish Women’s Sky Sports Cup final between Rangers and Partick Thistle held at Tynecastle Park on Sunday.
An image of a Rangers badge covering the Hearts emblem that adorns the floor of the home dressing was circulated online ahead of the match and sparked an angry reaction from some Jambos fans on social media.
Tynecastle chiefs have promised to launch an investigation after insisting the branding was displayed without their knowledge or consent.
In front of a record 4,786 spectators, Jo Potter’s Rangers Women defeated Brian Graham’s Thistle team 4-1 to win the title they had won the previous year.
The Heart of Midlothian Football Club issued the following statement: “We are aware of pictures that are making the rounds inside the Tynecastle Park home dressing room from today’s Sky Sports Cup Final.
Even though the SWPL, the competition’s organizers, manage the stadium on game day, we are active in pre-match preparation as a club. As a result, we would want to reassure our fans that we have not approved any requests for branding in the changing rooms of the concerned clubs.
It is quite upsetting to hear that our requests were ignored. It is up to the SWPL and Rangers to figure out how this happened, but it goes without saying that neither our supporters nor we will accept any explanation as acceptable. But in order to make sure that our club crest is never vandalized again, we will seek explanations.
“It is also unfortunate that this action has diverted attention from a cup final that was quite successful and another chance to advance women’s football in Scotland.”
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