There is usually commotion on the field during Celtic vs. Rangers games, and yesterday’s Scottish Cup final was no exception.John Beaton’s use of VAR opened up more possibilities following the SFA whistler’s use of the technology during Hearts’ 2-0 victory over Celtic at Tynecastle in March
Due to Brendan Rodgers’ post-match remarks, he was suspended by the SFA for one match, causing weeks of fallout.
A significant penalty call was made for Celtic on Saturday following what seemed to be ball handling by Rangers defender Ben Davies in the Ibrox team’s penalty area. Play soon resumed, thus there were no long VAR checks for that one. This one has generated a lot of discussion following Celtic’s victory at Hampden yesterday.
Neil Lennon and Scott Brown argue over the Celtic penalty claim. Scott Brown and Neil Lennon held different opinions about how they thought the VAR and referee handled the potential penalty claim.
Even though they both agreed that it was a spot-kick by today’s standards, Lennon believed Nick Walsh made the right judgment. Premier Sports quoted Lennon as saying, “Ben’s arm is out in an unnatural position.” He is powerless to change it, yet we have witnessed them offered.
“A few years ago, you would argue that it wasn’t a penalty, but this year, with VAR, I’ve seen them awarded. Rangers have won, and that decision was most likely the right one.
In a different vein, Scott Brown stated that even though he believed a penalty would have been harsh, it should have been imposed. “I think Rangers would be screaming for it if they got the same (decision against them),” Brown stated. But in today’s game, I believe it to be a penalty. Although I believe it to be a penalty, it’s severe.
Former SFA referees give their Celtic penalty verdict
As regular readers will know, we like to discuss how former referees view any big decisions involving Celtic.
Additionally, it appears that Steve Conroy and Des Roache, two former SFA referees, hold a viewpoint that the Celtic supporters might not share. Roache tweeted via the Behind The Whistles account, X:
To be honest, I agree with Scott Brown on this. The penalty should have gone to Celtic if the officials are going to consistently adopt their own reading of the handball rule.
The fact that Walsh or Beaton chose not to award the spot kick shows how inconsistently the regulation is enforced. Since the implementation of VAR, we have witnessed considerably worse decisions made against the club.
Fortunately, in the end, it didn’t really matter. Similar to Trophy Day last weekend, Adam Idah’s late goal sealed the cup and set forth scenes of excitement.
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply