It would be the height of folly for the Scottish Government to become involved in the financial crisis at Hearts FC ("Government: We'll help Hearts back from the brink", The Herald, November 8).

It has been the talk of the steamie for a long time that the finances of Scottish professional football were in a precarious position and many well-known teams risked uncertain futures.

One has to ask whether the Government intends to bailout any team unable to balance its books?

If our paid public servants feel the necessity to make grandiose populist gestures, I could suggest more worthy causes.

David J Crawford,

131 Shuna Street,

Glasgow.

I presume, following the Scottish Government's pledge to help Hearts FC that, should I be unable to meet the legal obligation to pay my taxes, I may call upon the Government to help me out.

It beggars belief that, in the light of the financial pressure on the Scottish public, the Government is spending even a second considering this. I know how I'll be voting in 2014.

Gillian Mackinnon,

60 Moraypark Terrace,

Culloden,

Inverness.

Those of us fortunate enough to be at Celtic Park on Wednesday night bore witness to both the best of Scottish football and the best of Scottishness ("Celtic 2 Barcelona 1 Lennon's men score historic victory over world's best team", The Herald, November 8).

Celtic's footballing tactics aside, Scottishness was evident on and off the pitch, no matter the nationality of individual players within the team. Here was controlled passion, strength allied with spirit, teamwork and discipline winning against the odds, and history and tradition fighting for their place in a modern sporting world of egos, superstars and untold riches.

It was fitting at this time of celebration for Celtic's 125 years that the club should triumph on this night.

Perhaps even more awesome than the victory were the extraordinary scenes at the end of the match.

Stewards had the greatest difficulty keeping Celtic and Barcelona fans apart; not for what has become in some quarters the usual aggressive tendencies but to swap a scarf or a shirt in mutual appreciation of what football should always be about – sportsmanship.

G McCulloch,

47 Moffat Wynd,

Saltcoats.