DAVID GRAYS POST MATCH RANT AFTER 2 1 LOSS TO CELTIC SPARKS SPFL REVIEW

Hibernian manager David Gray delivered one of the most explosive post match interviews of the season after his side fell to a 2 1 defeat against Celtic at Easter Road, a tirade so fierce that the SPFL is now reviewing his comments for potential disciplinary action.

The match itself had been frantic from the opening whistle. Celtic struck twice in quick succession, first through Daizen Maeda in the 27th minute, followed almost instantly by Augusto Engels in the 28th minute, a brutal one two punch that left the home crowd stunned. Though Hibs clawed one back through a Martin Boyle penalty in the 56th minute, the hosts could not complete the comeback.

But it was after the final whistle that the real drama erupted.

Gray, usually composed and measured, stepped in front of the cameras visibly seething. His voice was tight, his frustration unfiltered, and his accusations pointed directly at both Celtic and the match officials.

“I am absolutely sick of it,” Gray began, shaking his head as he tried to contain his anger. “Every single week we are told standards must improve, but what we saw out there today was nowhere near good enough. Not from the officials, not from the people making the decisions, and certainly not from Celtic in the way they tried to influence things.”

He did not stop there.

“It feels like you need to score three goals to get one against them,” he continued. “We compete, we fight, we play our football, but when key moments come, we are on the wrong end of them again. You tell me how that is supposed to be acceptable.”

The flashpoint that seemed to ignite Grays fury came late in the first half. Hibs believed they should have had a penalty for a challenge on Johan Lauterbach, only for play to continue after a brief VAR check. Gray called the decision “laughable” and “borderline incompetent.”

“From where I was standing, it is a stonewall penalty,” Gray insisted. “How VAR can look at that and decide nothing is wrong is beyond me. I have had enough of being told we just need to move on. We are in the top division of Scottish football. We deserve better officiating than this.”

At one point, Gray appeared to imply that Celtic players were pressuring the referee throughout the game.

“Celtic are a top team, nobody denies that,” he said. “But the level of influence some of their players try to exert over decisions is incredible. Every time something goes against them, four or five of them are around the referee. We are told that behaviour is meant to be stamped out. Tonight it absolutely was not.”

The boldness of his comments clearly crossed a line for league authorities. An SPFL spokesperson confirmed shortly after the interview that Grays remarks had been “noted and will undergo formal review,” a phrase commonly used when disciplinary proceedings are likely to follow.

Inside Easter Road, reactions were mixed. Some fans applauded Grays emotional outburst, seeing it as a manager finally standing up for his team. Others worried it might bring unnecessary trouble at a time when Hibs need stability more than headlines.

One supporter leaving the stadium summed up the mood “We all saw what the referee missed, but managers usually dance around it. Gray did not. He said what we are all thinking.”

On the pitch, despite the controversy, Celtics performance was efficient enough to keep them on course in the league table. Maedas opener, a sharp finish after cutting inside, gave the visitors early control. Engels goal a minute later, a powerful drive from the edge of the box, left Hibs stunned and chasing shadows.

Boyles second half penalty, calmly slotted into the bottom corner, gave the home side life, but Gray admitted the early double blow made their task enormous.

“We cannot concede goals like that,” he said. “But even then, we gave ourselves a chance. We deserved more from the second half.”

Yet every attempt to steer the conversation back to football eventually returned to officiating, and Gray closed the interview with a final biting remark.

“All we are asking for is a level playing field. Tonight we did not get one. And if nobody else is going to call it out, I will.”

Whether his words lead to fines, suspensions, or further scrutiny of officiating standards remains to be seen. But one thing is clear David Gray did not just lose a match tonight, he started a conversation Scottish football will not ignore easily.