Celtic penalty award at Motherwell: Referee wrong to award winner after VAR review, SFA rule | Football news
Celtic should not have been awarded the match-winning penalty against Motherwell last week that ended Hearts’ title hopes, the Scottish FA’s key match incident (KMI) panel has ruled.
The final of the William Hill Premiership was shrouded in controversy as the Hoops received a pack kick at Fir Park during a 2-2 draw.
VAR Andrew Dallas stepped in to warn match referee John Beaton of his belief that Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson had touched the ball with his hand, when he challenged Celtic defender Auston Trusty in the air.
Referee John Beaton, after watching the pitchside monitor for about 20 seconds, pointed to the spot and Kelechi Iheanacho scored in the 99th minute to give the Hoops a 3-2 win.
That result meant Celtic had to beat Hearts by any number of points on the final day to defend the title, and they would have needed a three-goal win to win if their game at Motherwell had gone down.
How do they react?
The backlash over the kick award was brutal and widespread, with Hearts manager Derek McInnes calling it “disgusting” and Motherwell’s Elliot Watt saying it was “the worst decision in the history of VAR”.
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Hearts manager, Derek McInnes, is disappointed with the decision to give Celtic a penalty for handball against Motherwell.
It may come as no surprise that the two title-chasing managers are at odds, with Celtic manager Martin O’Neill saying the decision “seems like a dead-end” and adding, “he gave you a handball, and an elbow on top of that”.
Beaton has since been placed under police protection after his details were leaked online last week.
The KMI panel confirmed today that the referee was correct in his initial decision not to award a penalty and that the VAR intervention result was incorrect.
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Chris Sutton and Kris Boyd disagreed with the recent VAR decision which resulted in Celtic being awarded a penalty in their match against Motherwell.
It was the second big decision against Hearts at the end of the game that the KMI team felt was wrong after Steven McLean went against his first decision not to give the Jambos a pack kick at Motherwell, and the game was tied 1-1, although VAR Greg Aitken pointed out that Alexander Tandros had been tackled by Kyyswaziri.
Jambos finished two points behind Celtic, these two calls had a big impact on the title race.
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Kris Boyd has revealed three key decisions he feels will have an impact on the title race as Hearts battle Celtic for the trophy.
The referees association condemned the abuse of officials
Meanwhile, the Scottish Senior Football Referees Association, condemned the “unfounded” scrutiny of match officials last month.
“SSFRA stands firmly with our partners following the unacceptable reaction to recent refereeing decisions,” read a statement released on Friday.
“The careless comments of other managers, clubs and media have made the already toxic situation worse.
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Highlights of the Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic.
“No referee should have to deal with this type of abuse, intimidation, intimidation or leaking of private information just for doing their job. Such behavior has no place in Scottish football or society in general.
“Referees play a difficult role in an area of ​​high demand and deserve the same respect and protection afforded to everyone else in the game. Scottish football cannot thrive in an environment where referees are attacked for making decisions in the course of their duties.
“If this behavior continues, we will reserve all options open to us.”
