Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has revealed he wanted to end his playing career on his own terms and could not imagine finishing it at any other club.

The 75-times capped England international this week announced his decision to retire at the end of the season, when he will be 37.

The former Manchester City player rejuvenated his career after moving from Tottenham in the summer of 2021, adding a clean sweep of Scottish domestic trophies to his full collection of English major honours.

And he wants the focus on his future to quickly switch to his attempts to continue that success as Celtic bid to rise to a strong title challenge from Rangers after losing top spot in the cinch Premiership last weekend.

Hart said: “I have loved every moment of being here, myself and my family, it’s been everything and more than I wanted it to be, and I will be forever proud that I represented this club.

“The most pleasing thing for me is a lot of the people here respect that I come and I give my all. Whether it’s good, bad or indifferent.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of times when people wanted me in, wanted me out, but that’s the life of a goalkeeper. But ultimately you are respected as a person, and welcomed into a really special club.

“I will be 37 at the end of this season. What direction the club wants to go, whether I fitted into that, I wasn’t too sure. We didn’t even have that conversation.

“I certainly wasn’t interested in going and trying to play anywhere else.

“So I felt, right, I wanted to be strong and fit and ultimately happy. If there is such a thing, I feel I am in that place, and I feel like it’s the right time.”

Hart, who made his first-team debut for Shrewsbury 20 years ago, added: “I looked at what age I’m going to be, I’m aware of all the stresses I have put myself through body-wise all through my career.

“I didn’t really want to wait and be told. And with the cycle of the three years I have managed to do here, I wasn’t interested in playing anywhere else. It just felt right.

“I felt like I know and I wanted the club to know because I have a lot of love and respect for this club and I want the club to move forward to bigger and better things.

“No-one needs the speculation of whether a regular starter is going to be offered a contract, sign a contract, whether he is looking elsewhere. That’s a needless narrative when all of us are on the same page so I thought it was important to address it.

“There will be a couple of days of noise but after that no-one will care. ‘Oh right, Joe is retiring at the end of the season, Celtic need a goalkeeper, but right now he is there and he is going to be head down and fully fighting for this special club’.”

Hart’s decision gives manager Brendan Rodgers one less big call to make as he plans for what appears to be a crucial summer transfer window.

“I think we are very clear on what we need to improve on within the team and the squad,” said Rodgers, who welcomes Alistair Johnston and Cameron Carter-Vickers back from injury for Sunday’s trip to Motherwell.

“But certainly with Joe going, that really quickens that up in terms of needing to bring in someone for next year.”

The Scottish Football Association has hit back at Rangers as the row over a non-penalty incident at Celtic Park continues.

Celtic defender Alistair Johnston appeared to handle the ball inside the area in the first half of the cinch Premiership clash at Parkhead on December 30 while under pressure from Gers forward Abdallah Sima.

Referee Nick Walsh pointed for a goal kick and the decision was confirmed by VAR official Willie Collum following a check.

It later emerged through Sky Sports – broadcasting the match live – that there had been an offside in the build-up and Rangers claimed that was never mentioned during the VAR analysis.

The Ibrox club called on the SFA to release the audio of the incident and following a meeting with the governing body on Wednesday, Rangers said there was “an overriding consensus the VAR decision of no handball was incorrect”.

The Govan club also added they were “deeply concerned” by the speed of the decision and there were reports that the club had requested that Collum not be involved in Rangers games going forward.

However, in a lengthy statement the SFA said: “The Scottish FA is disappointed by contents of the most recent statement issued by Rangers.

“Chief executive James Bisgrove and director of football operations Creag Robertson attended a private briefing with the head of referee operations, Crawford Allan, to review the incident in question, including the use of matchday audio.

“We understood from the chief executive that the meeting had been constructive and informative, and conducted amicably. This does not appear to be reflected in the club’s statement.

“During the meeting, it was pointed out that the incident in question was a subjective handball and that the VAR did not deem it a sufficiently clear and obvious error to refer to on-field review.

“Furthermore, the offside would not have been mentioned at the time as it was not part of the VAR’s decision-making on the handball.

“It was highlighted within Clydesdale House that had the VAR considered the incident to be a handball offence and asked the referee to carry out an on-field review, the attacking phase of play would have been checked and an offside would have been identified.

“This supplementary information was relayed to broadcasters in-game, and we are reviewing the process of information dissemination to avoid any perceived ambiguity in future.

“There was an overall consensus that the incident could not have led to a penalty kick being awarded in any event, and that there was no impact on the final outcome of the match.”

The statement continued: “Since the summer, we have ensured that key match incidents [KMI] are reviewed and shared with all clubs after every full round of Premiership fixtures, including use of audio.

“We will continue to do this, along with KMI being shared with the independent review panel for their consideration and opinion.

“Finally, we note posts from a recent official media partner of the club’s detailing requests from the private meeting that were immediately rejected.

“We would ask that club representatives show greater responsibility in such matters, especially in the context of recent incidents in European football that have compromised the safety of match officials and led to widespread condemnation.”

The latter comments comes after former MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca was recently given a permanent suspension for punching referee Halil Umut Meler after his side’s draw with Caykur Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig.

Rangers have requested that the audio of the VAR penalty incident in the 2-1 defeat at Celtic be released by the Scottish Football Association.

Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston appeared to handle the ball inside his own box in the first half of the cinch Premiership encounter at Parkhead under pressure from Gers attacker Abdallah Sima.

A goal-kick was awarded by referee Nick Walsh and the check by VAR official Willie Collum for handball came to nothing but it later emerged through Sky Sports, who were broadcasting the match live, that there had been an offside in the build-up.

Gers boss Philippe Clement said afterwards: “There was no communication towards me. And if the communication is that Sima is offside, I’m not a referee – but there should have been a clear signal from VAR for offside.”

A Rangers spokesperson said: “Rangers have asked the Scottish FA to make the VAR audio available to the club to understand why no penalty was awarded despite a clear handball by Celtic’s Alistair Johnston.

“The club is keen to understand the process that led to that decision being made as it was not made public at the time, nor communicated to our team.

“We also understand Sky, as the league’s official broadcaster, is deeply unhappy and confused with the situation.

“Their panel spent half-time in agreement Rangers should have been awarded a penalty, unaware of any offside check. Again, this only surfaced in the second half.

“Rangers remains advocates of VAR, but there must be significantly more transparency for it to be successful in Scotland.”

Philippe Clement questioned the VAR process which ruled out a penalty claim in Rangers’ 2-1 defeat by Celtic at Parkhead.

Leading through a Paulo Bernardo goal in the first half, Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston appeared to handle the ball inside his own penalty area under pressure from Abdallah Sima.

The VAR check for handball came to nothing but it later emerged that Sima had been offside in the build-up.

Kyogo Furuhashi added a second just after the break before Rangers defender Leon Balogun was shown a straight red by referee Nick Walsh for denying Daizen Maeda a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Gers skipper James Tavernier curled in a wonderful free-kick in the 88th minute to make it an anxious ending for Celtic, who moved eight points clear of their Old Firm rivals at the top of the table having played two games more.

It was a first defeat for the Belgian in 17 games as Rangers boss and he was left perplexed.

“My biggest frustration isn’t Cyriel Dessers missing a chance because (Erling) Haaland and (Kylian) Mbappe miss chances like that,” said Clement, who claims he was handed a yellow card during the game “for reacting too hard on a ball that was clearly ours given to the other side”.

“My biggest frustration is that if there’s a clear handball, I don’t understand why it’s not a penalty given.

“It’s a clear thing so I’m curious about it.

“There was no communication towards me. And if the communication is that Sima is offside, I’m not a referee but there should have been a clear signal from VAR for offside.

“Then everyone knows the decision. There was no communication at that moment.

“Otherwise, the signal of the referee is not correct. So there’s been a mistake and it’s clear for everyone to see.

“I also make mistakes but it’s an expensive one today.”

Clement was not displeased with the way his side performed in a stadium which had home fans only amid an allocation dispute between the two clubs.

He said: “The match was a good promotion for Scottish football with two teams who wanted to win, attacked and created chances.

“I need to look at my side and I’m happy with what they showed me today.

“We had more shots than Celtic but we didn’t take our moments.

“They were more efficient on the day and when games are in the balance like that, you can lose them.

“It could have been a draw, we could have won it. But the circumstances weren’t on our side.

“My team reacted in the second half, even after a world-class goal to make it 2-0. It’s a very good goal and you can’t do too many things about it.

“But we never stopped, even with 10 men. We kept going and created enough chances to score our goal and others. We went until the end and everyone here became nervous.”

Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston believes they can be a “really top team” if they sharpen up in both boxes but he accepts they are running out of chances in the Champions League.

The Scottish champions suffered defeat by the narrowest of margins against Lazio on Wednesday night.

Luis Palma was ruled offside by the VAR officials after thinking he had put Celtic 2-1 ahead in the 81st minute after it was decided that the ball skimmed off the leg of Daizen Maeda on its way to the winger.

Then Lazio got the crucial third goal of the night five minutes into stoppage time after former Chelsea and Barcelona forward Pedro won the ball back and headed home seconds later with the VAR officials ruling him just onside.

Celtic are on zero points from two matches after going down to nine men in an opening defeat by Feyenoord and now face a pivotal double-header against Atletico Madrid, who visit Glasgow on October 25 after beating the Dutch champions 3-2 to move on to four points.

Johnston said: “We still believe. I think we have shown we can play with anyone. That was a top team and we had a lot of spells with the ball where we were comfortable.

“But you need to find a way to turn that into wins because every match, especially when you go away in the Champions League, is going to be difficult.

“Our mind is still on getting out of this group and I still think there’s a chance but this next match becomes all the more important. We know that. You lose again and the ride is probably done.

“We need to really dig in and find a way in these next two games against Atletico to get some points on the board.”

Celtic took an early lead through Kyogo Furuhashi after a penetrating move but conceded an equaliser from a corner.

Johnston added: “We just need to get a little more ruthless in both boxes, in terms of defending our box and set-pieces, and just be a little more clinical.

“If we can add that element in both boxes I think we can be a really top team because we showed in the middle third that we can play with these teams.”

Celtic had looked the likelier team to get in front for most of the second half.

The Canada international said: “It felt really good second half, like we could move the ball around, we were comfortable, breaking through their press. We probably didn’t create as many clear-cut chances as we would have liked but we weren’t really conceding much.

“With the crowd behind us, we always felt like we were going to get one, and it felt like we did with Palma finishing it off.

“That’s football, isn’t it? Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t but we want those ones to start falling our way because it feels like there have been a couple now that have gone against us and we need to find a way to get the win.

“The margins are so slim, one slip and this level of players will punish you. I mean, that’s Pedro with the header at the back post, for crying out loud, from one little thing.

“We need to be extra cautious and that’s part of my role in the Champions League, to be really defensive-minded. There was one moment where I kind of get caught out and all of a sudden they are scoring at the back post. That’s what is frustrating for myself personally and I think for the team as well.

“I would love to say we are going to learn from this and we will but at this stage you just don’t even want to make that mistake, we feel we are past that.

“It’s frustrating but we have to move on and bounce back.”

Alistair Johnston hailed team-mate Daizen Maeda as a “machine” after the Celtic forward capped a fine performance against Livingston with his side’s third goal.

Brendan Rodgers’ men were ahead through a Reo Hatate penalty when Joe Hart was sent off for a foul on Mo Sangare.

However, Celtic extended their advantage through Matt O’Riley before claiming a third from Maeda in stoppage time.

Johnston hailed the Japanese international as an inspiration for his tireless running.

The Celtic full-back said: “He’s a machine. That’s the simplest way to look at it.

“You look back at the Rangers match and he was just flying around the pitch for 90 minutes and it was the same in this match as well. He’s got an unbelievable engine.

“He’s a nightmare to play or train against. Just ask any of our full-backs who have to go up against him. He’s just constant.

“He’s like this every day, which makes it really difficult for us, although it’s good to train against a guy like that. You can never take a minute off.

“He really does count for two on that side as you think you bypass him with the ball and he’s doubling down, pressing the guy again.

“It’s amazing to watch from my side across the pitch as you know the guy doesn’t know what’s coming as all of a sudden Daizen is there again. He’s a joy to have in your team, he’s such a weapon.

“He just helps us out in so many ways; the attacking side we see the goal he scored in the 90th minute and then the defensive side as well. He’s really special to have.”

Livingston manager David Martindale praised Celtic’s performance and rubbished the notion that they have not been as good since Ange Postecoglou left the club.

“I watched them on Tuesday (in the Champions League against Feyenoord) and I thought they were fantastic in the press, trying to get the ball back,” he said.

“There have been a few things floating about ‘they are not the same’ or ‘they’ve not clicked’, but I think you saw a wee bit of a change with the Champions League and then today.

“I think they showed true character and true spirit when they went down to 10 men. But we shoot ourselves in the foot by giving away a really avoidable second goal. When I look at all three goals, they’re really avoidable.”

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has revealed defender Alistair Johnston could miss the first two months of the new season following ankle surgery.

Canada right-back Johnston, a regular starter under former manager Ange Postecoglou after arriving from Montreal in January, initially sustained the injury in April.

The 24-year-old returned for last month’s Scottish Cup final win against Inverness, but has since failed to fully recover.

Rodgers, currently at a training camp in Portugal with his squad, said: “Alistair had an issue when he came back from international duty, a problem with his ankle.

“In the operation, he had a couple of bits removed, which was successful. He’s out here with us. It’s probably a six to eight-week injury, but hopefully he’ll be fit sooner than that.

“He’ll progress really well and better to have it done at this stage than some time during the season.”

Rodgers had better news on another Hoops defender, Cameron Carter-Vickers, who has rejoined the squad in Portugal ahead of schedule after undergoing knee surgery in April.

The USA centre-half had been expected to be out until the end of August, but could be fit in time for the season’s opener against Ross County.

“Cameron is doing very well, he’s out on the pitch,” Rodgers said. “After the surgery he had after the (Scottish Cup) semi-final he’s doing really well.

“He looks strong, so he’s progressing and he’s well on schedule to be back, so that’s good news.”

Rodgers, who returned as Celtic manager in May following Postecoglou’s departure to Tottenham, is hoping to further strengthen his squad.

Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and Australia winger Marco Tilio were signed earlier this month from Valerenga and Melbourne City respectively.

Rodgers confirmed Tilio will not recover from an injury he sustained before arriving in Glasgow in time for the start of the season.

Following forward Jota’s recent departure to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, new forward recruits are high on Rodgers’ wish-list.

The former Leicester boss said: “The modern game, for a lot of players, it’s also a business for them. Careers are short and (Jota’s) been given an opportunity to go and look after himself and his family, so we have to respect that.

“So he’s gone and of course we have so many talented players here, but we’d like to do some business in that area of the team as well.”

Rodgers confirmed Republic of Ireland winger Mikey Johnston, hoping to force his way back into favour at Celtic Park after spending last season on loan with Portuguese side Guimaraes, will be sidelined for up to three months due to a back problem.

The Hoops are scheduled to play a second friendly against Portimonense in Portugal on Saturday before flying out to Japan, where they will face Yokohama F. Marinos (July 19) and Gamba Osaka (July 22).

Rodgers’ side are due to play Wolves at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (July 29) and then Athletic Bilbao in their final pre-season friendly at Celtic Park on August 1.