Craig Levein has recounted the shocking moment when former Hearts boss Ian Cathro allegedly had a physical confrontation with Bjorn Johnsen in 2017.
Levein was director of football at the time with Cathro approaching the end of his first season as Hearts manager.
In the penultimate game of the 2016/17 Premiership campaign, Hearts faced St Johnstone in Perth and went on to lose the game 1-0.
But it was at half-time where tempers flared in the bowels of McDiarmid Park, according to Levein, with Cathro ‘losing the plot’ with forward Johnsen.
Levein claims Cathro pinned the Norwegian to the dressing room wall before the striker sensationally stormed out of the stadium and phoned a taxi home.
Levein was speaking on the latest Open Goal podcast and recalled the story, much to the amazement of the panel including Si Ferry, Andy Halliday and Paul Slane.
Levein on Cathro ‘losing the plot’ in Hearts dressing room
Levein said: “There was another incident at St Johnstone with Ian who lost the plot in the dressing room. Well, I wasn’t in the dressing room but he must have done.
“And he grabbed one of the players like (Levein re-enacts grabbing action). Do you remember the player Bjorn Johnsen? He was 6’5” striker and came from Sweden. He was a good player and played for Norway.
“I wasn’t in the dressing room but he was like that (Levein makes another grabbing action). I only realised there was something wrong when Bjorn came storming out the dressing room.
“So he’s got his kit on bursting out the dressing room and I’m like, ‘where are you going?’ So he’s run up the stairs to reception to order a taxi to go home.
“He’s jumped in the taxi with all his gear on and got a taxi back home.”
Cathro denied the bust-up with Bjorn Johnsen
After the alleged incident, Cathro actually denied it had happened to the press ahead of the final game of the league season against Celtic.
In quotes from BBC Sport Scotland, Cathro said at the time: “Bjorn has trained well today and is available for Sunday. There is no story around that.
“You hope that a lot of things are private. I don’t read everything but my understanding is that what made it out wasn’t actually correct.
“There’s no real story. It was incorrect to the point of making it a story. I’d need to make up another lie to pretend it was a story again.
“I don’t feel that is something we need to turn in to a bigger thing.”