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Celtic penalty debacle shows why Scottish football must get rid of video assistant referees | Ewan Murray
TL;DR
Scottish football faces criticism over the video assistant referee system after a controversial late penalty awarded to Celtic against Motherwell. The incident has sparked widespread debate about the effectiveness and necessity of VAR in the league.
Key points
- Celtic awarded a controversial late penalty against Motherwell
- Gary Lineker criticized the VAR decision on social media
- The incident may affect Hearts' title ambitions
- Criticism of VAR's effectiveness in Scottish football
- Attendance figures for Celtic's match against Hibernian questioned
Mentioned in this story
Gary Lineker
CelticMotherwellHearts
This moment was inevitable. One when observers from Gorgie to Guadalajara ponder how Scottish football got itself into such a tangle with the video assistant referee system. Sadly for Hearts, the incident in question may prove fatal in their push to make history. Sadly for Celtic, it will be a key reference point in the event of a successful title defence.
Gary Lineker played for Tottenham in a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle in 1990, that has never appeared to fuel a lasting affection for Hearts. Lineker is untainted by the Old Firm’s suffocating tribalism. He passed the neutrality test with flying colours. Lineker used social media to amplify the cries of disgust as Celtic were awarded a late, late penalty to win at Motherwell. “This might be the worst VAR decision I’ve seen (and there’s a lot of competition),” Lineker said. “Extraordinary given the significance.”
Motherwell’s Sam Nicholson leaped for the ball alongside Auston Trusty. Nicholson’s elbow was catapulted upwards by Trusty’s shoulder. Unless Nicholson has the physical attributes of Inspector Gadget, he headed the ball clear. The likelihood (only that) is the ball touched his hand, sufficiently so for Scotland’s dedicated VAR, Andrew Dallas, to alert the match referee. John Beaton took only a brief look at the scene – amazingly, given its complexity – before pointing to the spot. Lineker’s sentiment was matched, en masse, by those who found it extraordinary the VAR felt the need to intervene.
The follow-up was typical. Celtic supporters, who would endanger the functionality of the internet were a penalty given against their side in an identical situation, have contorted themselves to deliver all manner of arguments on why the call was correct. Others, including Lineker, with no horse in the race have highlighted the lunacy of it. This was no place for the VAR to press pause on a moment that, despite this age of the internet, would have received no subsequent attention had it been ignored.
The latest bulletin from the Scottish Professional Football League’s Pinocchio department landed on Wednesday. “SPFL top-flight attendances set to pass four million for first time amid thrilling title race,” it read. Attendance: the persons or number of persons present. Anyone with eyes in their head would be well aware there were not, in fact, the reported 18,113 at Celtic’s recent visit to Hibernian. There are further examples but the SPFL uses ticket sales rather than keisters on seats as a means of demonstrating this is the league for the match-attending supporter. It is all about those fans in Scotland, as evidenced during toe-curling appeals to open turnstiles as Covid gripped the world.
Except it really is not. The implementation of VAR, which has fundamentally undermined the SPFL matchgoing experience, was done without consulting supporters. There is no sense of clubs asking season-ticket holders if they are happy to continue to subsidise a system that prompts confusion in stands and spreads a small pool of elite officials so desperately thin.
Q&A
What was the controversial VAR decision involving Celtic and Motherwell?
Celtic was awarded a late penalty against Motherwell after a handball incident that many, including Gary Lineker, deemed to be a poor VAR decision.
How has the VAR decision impacted Hearts' season?
The decision may prove fatal for Hearts in their pursuit of a historic season, as it has significant implications for the title race.
What are the criticisms of the VAR system in Scottish football?
Critics argue that the VAR system complicates decisions unnecessarily and that the recent penalty call exemplifies its failure to enhance the game.
What was the attendance at Celtic's recent match against Hibernian?
The reported attendance of 18,113 at Celtic's match against Hibernian has been questioned, as many observers noted that the actual number of attendees was lower.
