The possibility of a "toxic Tynecastle", fans "voting with their feet" and questions being asked of head coach Neil Critchley amid a battle to stay clear of relegation trouble. The implications of Hearts' Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Aberdeen have the potential to run deep no matter how brave their display was in the face of much Hampden adversity. Having also missed out on a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership last weekend, what did we learn from that semi-final defeat and what does the immediate future hold for Critchley and for the Edinburgh club? Former Tynecastle striker and manager John Robertson suggested the game "kind of sums up the season" for Hearts. "Close but not quite close enough," he said on Sportsound. "Close to getting into the knockout stages of the Conference League, close to getting into the top six, close to getting it to penalties today, but not quite close enough." However, Robertson thought there was little more Critchley could have done, given Hearts were reduced to 10 men just before the break - when Michael Steinwender was sent off for a professional foul - then Cammy Devlin picked a second yellow card shortly before the Oday Dabbagh's late winner. "The first red, you couldn't really argue," he said. "The second, there's no intent from Devlin, he's just trying to hook the ball away and can't see the Aberdeen player. "They went to a 5-3-1, defended bravely and had sporadic attacks. It looked like they would get to the penalty kicks, but it was just pure numbers in the end. "For the amount of bravery and effort they put in, they didn't get what they deserved. Aberdeen weren't particularly great today, but they are through." Fellow pundit Leanne Crichton agreed with Robertson's pre-match suggestion that Tynecastle "could become a very toxic place until the end of the season". "For Hearts, it's a real sucker punch after also not making the top six," the former Scotland midfielder said. "A lot of home fans might decide to vote with their feet." BBC Scotland chief sports writer Tom English thought there were "nuances" to Hearts' latest failure. "I feel for Hearts because they emptied themselves with 10 men, then nine. They defended heroically for much of the afternoon. "Where does it leave Neil Critchley? It is just another kick to the solar plexus. No top six, no final, I don't know what the Hearts board are going to make of this." Critchley gave a confident "yes" when asked if he will be given time to steer his Hearts side to the "positive future" he envisages. His team head into the five remaining bottom six league games on the back of four games without a victory. "It really hurts," the head coach told BBC Scotland. "Gutted for the players, gutted for the supporters. "I thought we were brilliant. We were the better team in the first half and then to defend as well as we did for as long as we did with 10 men, I thought we showed real grit and character. "The least we deserved was to take it to penalties." One more point and they would have had an outside chance of European qualification, but last week's goalless draw with Motherwell means they are now only six points clear of Dundee in the relegation play-off spot. "I am not concerned because I see what we've got in the dressing room," Critchley insisted. "We are gutted right now, but we've got more than enough fight and character to be fine. "I have seen enough of this group to be positive about the future." Critchley thought decisions by referee John Beaton turned the game. Steinwender was ordered off for tripping Topi Keskinen some 45 yards from goal as he tore towards the Hearts box and Devlin was shown a second yellow shortly before Aberdeen's extra-time winner. "I have to be careful because I'll get into trouble, but the red came out very quickly and he was a long way from the goal," Critchley said of the first-half dismissal. "The second one has cost us the opportunity to go to penalties. Cammy shouldn't have been booked initially, then the second one, the player just gets in front of him. The referee has to show a bit of understanding of the situation." Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who scored a first half own goal when Pape Gueye's header struck him after cannoning against the bar, agreed. "We're pretty angry," he said. "I thought we were doing well. We were going to take it to penalty kicks and take our chances there. "Unfortunately, the big moment comes from a second yellow card for Cammy. I feel a little bit let down by that, but he's got that split second to make that decision. "The referee felt that was a yellow card. We obviously don't." Critchley insists that "one game can't change a strategy" as he looks to the longer term. With four teams below them, Hearts should have enough of a cushion to avoid that relegation play-off, but they must dust themselves down quickly. Dundee are their first visitors in the bottom six next Saturday and another defeat really would surely mean that "toxic Tynecastle" prediction would become a reality.

For much of the 120 minutes at Hampden, there was precious little hint of the beautiful story to come, the heart-warming endgame to a Scottish Cup semi-final that wasn't always easy on the eye. From a grind to a thing of glory for Aberdeen and their match-winner, Oday Dabbagh, a Palestinian, born in the Old City of Jerusalem. We waited and waited for a story and, boy, did we get one. Dabbagh came on to the pitch in the 81st minute when Aberdeen were mid-toil. Very little wit, very little imagination, very few signs that they had it in them to take advantage of their numerical superiority. Hearts had been down to 10 men since just short of half-time. It took a dreary Aberdeen another 58 minutes to get their first shot on target. Moments later, they had a second. Dabbagh, and fellow substitute Dante Polvara, were beginning to make a difference. The Palestinian forced a terrific save from Craig Gordon and slowly Aberdeen started to turn the screw. Alexander Jensen had a chance, Jeppe Okkels had one of his own. Penalties loomed, but so did Dabbagh. When he tucked away the goal that sent Aberdeen to the final - just two minutes short of penalties - he wheeled away to be with his supporters. On full-time, his team-mates went to him, one by one. Later, amid the bedlam, he spoke about it all. "It's a really incredible feeling, I can't explain," he said. "I'm happy to score the winning goal, I'm happy to be in the final. Thank you to the fans. "I want to thank the staff and my team-mates for believing in me. They said I would finally get the goal and I did." This was Dabbagh's 10th game for Aberdeen since he joined on loan from Charleroi at the turn of the year. A 90th-minute winner against Kilmarnock, a double against Queen's Park in the cup, and now this, a different stratosphere to the others. It's a goal that will mean more to him and football people in his homeland than we'll possibly ever know. His story is quite something. As a kid on the cobbles of Jerusalem, he idolised Robin van Persie. At the age of 16 he was playing for, and excelling with, Hilal al-Quds in the West Bank Premier League. He won league titles there. In 2018-19 he was the competition's top scorer. At 19, he played for his national team. A teenager, yes, but one who had already seen a lot - too much. Matches delayed while teams were held at checkpoints. Tear-gassing of stadiums. Players who lost homes in bombings. Dabbagh's reputation grew and he moved to Kuwait, broke a collarbone, got Covid and still won trophies and a golden boot. When winning a league title, he dedicated it to home. In August 2021, at the age of 22, Dabbagh was signed by Arouca in the Portuguese top flight. He made his debut off the bench against Porto and Pepe was his marker. Arouca lost 3-0, but the significance didn't come with the result, it came with Dabbagh's appearance - the first homegrown product to reach one of Europe's big leagues. Just as he spoke about his happiness at Hampden, he spoke then about his pride in reaching such a level "not just for me but for all Palestinians. I hope I can be an ambassador for Palestinian players". Palestinian football commentators and social historians remarked on what Dabbagh had done in Portugal, how football was tied up in the psyche of the Palestinian people and how Dabbagh, the new pioneer in foreign fields, embodied that spirit. In the summer of 2023, he moved to Charleroi in Belgium, played Asian Cup for his country and had a crack at the World Cup qualifiers. But game-time for his club grew limited. When Aberdeen were looking for a loan striker, their research threw up his name - a player who had lost his way a little, but one who had still plenty to give in the right environment. And the environment was never more right than at Hampden in the 118th minute of a tight scrap that seemed destined to end in penalties until Dabbagh did his thing. Aberdeen are now in the final having faced Elgin (third in League Two at the time); Dunfermline (who were eighth in the Championship); and Queen's Park (fifth in the same second tier). That was a charmed path to Hampden and the breaks continued for Aberdeen when Hearts went down to 10 and then nine men, unjustly in the case of Cammy Devlin, many would say. Still, Jimmy Thelin's side needed a hero and, for all their possession and all of their territory, it didn't look like they had one in their ranks - until Dabbagh pounced. In that moment of triumph the roars of the fans won't just have carried all the way home to Aberdeen. Around 3,000 miles away, passionate football people might have been listening and cheering, too.

A Nigerian Islamic scholar, Dr Dauda Awwal, has launched what he describes as the world’s first comprehensive Yoruba-English Qur’an translation, an initiative aimed at making the Islamic holy book more accessible to Yoruba-speaking communities around the world.
The disclosure was made in a statement on Thursday to The PUNCH.
The project, called the Global English-Yoruba Qur’an 4-in-1, features the original Arabic text, full transliteration for proper pronunciation, Yoruba translation with high linguistic accuracy, and English translation enriched with commentary, Hadith references, biblical comparisons, and scientific insights.
“This is the first time in history that all these elements are coming together in a single Qur’an.
“For over a century, Yoruba-speaking Muslims have lacked a complete, authentic Qur’anic reference in their language. This project will bridge that gap,” said Awwal, a graduate of Muhammad Ibn Saud University in Riyadh.
Awwal also announced the launch of “My First 13 Surahs for Children,” a colourful, interactive edition designed for children aged five to ten. It includes Arabic, Yoruba, and English translations of 13 short chapters, with illustrations, worksheets, mobile app integration, and audio-visual recitations to support early Islamic education.
The scholar plans to print and freely distribute five million copies of the children’s edition across four continents: two million in Africa, and one million each in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Digital formats will also be made available through mobile apps and e-books.
“We’re inviting global sponsors, Islamic organisations, and philanthropists to partner with us in this historic project,” Awwal stated. “This is not just a book. It is a cultural legacy and a tool for interfaith understanding.”
Awwal, who has authored over 50 Islamic publications, has received international recognition for his work, including a commendation from the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Qur’an project was previously presented to the Nigerian High Commission in London and Nigerian communities in the UK.
He also extended a call to leaders such as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to support the global rollout of the initiative.

It is not just Celtic fans who will be willing them on in Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final with St Johnstone. Those who support Hibernian, Dundee United, St Mirren - and maybe even the more pessimistic Aberdeen fans - will also be hoping Brendan Rodgers holders win for one simple reason... A final between Celtic and Aberdeen - regardless of the outcome - will mean the top five finishers in the Scottish Premiership will be guaranteed Europe next season. The Scottish Cup winners earn a spot in the Europa League play-off round, with the team that finishes third in the Premiership going into the second qualifying round. Whoever is fourth, will be in the equivalent stage of the Conference League. However, if Celtic win the cup, everything shuffles down because they have already clinched a place in the Champions League qualifiers. Rangers will too. That means the Europa play-off place - and the guaranteed six-game Conference League campaign that comes with it - goes to whoever finishes third in the league. Currently, that's Hibs. But United and Aberdeen and St Mirren - albeit the arithmetic is hugely against them - are still in the mix. But even the clubs who miss out on third could still be rewarded. Fourth place would be upgraded from Conference League to Europa League, with that Conference spot going to whoever finishes fifth. St Johnstone, of course, could scupper all this with a second victory over Celtic inside a month. Should they do so, then either they or Aberdeen could look forward to at least six lucrative games in the Conference League come the autumn.