Hearts winger Jamie Walker loses diving ban case

Hearts midfielder Jamie Walker's two-match ban for diving has been upheld after a Hampden hearing.

The 23-year-old was issued with a notice of complaint by Scottish Football Association judicial officer Tony McGlennan following a controversial penalty award in Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Celtic.

Referee John Beaton gave Hearts a first-half spot-kick at Tynecastle after Walker appeared to tumble under a challenge from defender Kieran Tierney, but replays showed little if any contact. Walker was offered a two-match suspension but the Tynecastle club appealed.

A three-person independent judicial panel met at Hampden Park to hear the evidence and the outcome was that the compliance officer's referral was upheld with a two-match immediate suspension applied. The Scotland Under-21 cap will miss Premiership games against Aberdeen and Inverness.

In a brief statement, Hearts said they were "deeply disappointed with the opinion of the panel".

Walker claimed after the match that he "felt contact so went down" but Celtic skipper Scott Brown labelled his opponent a "cheat".

Walker, who scored from the spot-kick, was charged with breaching SFA disciplinary rule 201.

The charge states: "At the above match you committed an act of simulation in that you did pretend that you were fouled by a player on the opposing team, namely Kieran Tierney, and did thereafter dive in the penalty box of the opposing team.

"That this act of simulation caused a match official to make an incorrect decision, namely the incorrect awarding of a penalty to Heart of Midlothian FC."