Celtic should not have been awarded the match-winning penalty away to Motherwell last week that dented Hearts’ title hopes, the Scottish FA’s key match incident (KMI) panel has ruled.
The finale to the William Hill Premiership campaign was shrouded in controversy as the Hoops were given a spot-kick deep into stoppage time at Fir Park while drawing 2-2.
VAR Andrew Dallas intervened to alert match referee John Beaton to his belief that Motherwell winger Sam Nicholson had touched the ball with his hand, while challenging Celtic defender Auston Trusty in the air.
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Watch the incident as VAR intervened and Celtic were awarded a penalty in the dying seconds of the game at Motherwell
Referee John Beaton, after viewing the pitchside monitor for around 20 seconds, pointed to the spot and Kelechi Iheanacho duly scored in the 99th-minute to secure a wildly celebrated 3-2 win for the Hoops.
That result meant Celtic only had to defeat Hearts by any score on the final day to secure the title, while they would have required a three-goal victory to prevail if their match at Motherwell had ended all square.
What was the reaction?
The backlash to the spot-kick award was ferocious and widespread, with Hearts boss Derek McInnes calling it “disgusting” and Motherwell player Elliot Watt said it was “the worst VAR decision in history”.
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Hearts boss Derek McInnes was left disappointed by the decision to award Celtic a penalty for handball against Motherwell
It might be no surprise that the two bosses battling for the title had contrasting views, as Celtic manager Martin O’Neill said the decision “looks as if it’s a pretty clear cut” and added, “he’s given it for the handball, and also an elbow on top of that there as well”.
Beaton was subsequently put under police protection after his personal details were leaked online last week.
The KMI panel confirmed today the referee was correct with his initial decision not to award a penalty and the VAR intervention outcome was incorrect.
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Chris Sutton and Kris Boyd disagreed over the late VAR decision that led to a controversial penalty being awarded to Celtic in their match against Motherwell
It was the second huge decision to go against Hearts in the closing rounds of fixtures that the KMI panel subsequently deemed to be wrong after Steven McLean controversially stuck by his initial decision not to award the Jambos a spot-kick away to Motherwell, while the match was level at 1-1, despite VAR Greg Aitken indicating that Alexandros Kyziridis had been tripped by Tawanda Maswanhise.
The Jambos finished two points behind Celtic, with these two calls ultimately having had a huge bearing on the title race.
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Kris Boyd outlined three key decisions that he feels impacted the title race as Hearts battled Celtic for the trophy
Referee body hit out at abuse of officials
The Scottish Senior Football Referees Association, meanwhile, has condemned the “entirely disproportionate” scrutiny on match officials over the past month.
“The SSFRA stands firmly alongside our colleagues following the wholly unacceptable reaction to recent refereeing decisions,” read a statement released on Friday.
“Irresponsible commentary from some managers, clubs and sections of the media has only served to fuel an already toxic environment.
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Highlights of the Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic.
“No referee should be subjected to this abuse, intimidation, threats or the leaking of private information simply for carrying out their duties. Such conduct has no place in Scottish football or society more generally.
“Referees perform a difficult role in an intensely demanding environment and deserve the same respect and protection afforded to everyone else in the game. Scottish football cannot thrive in an atmosphere where referees are subjected to personal attacks for making decisions in the course of their duties.
“Should this behaviour continue, we will reserve all options open to us.”
