The clash between Celtic and Rangers in the Glasgow Derby often stirs up controversy on the field, and yesterday’s Scottish Cup final was no exception.
With John Beaton overseeing VAR, there was a looming potential for more drama following the SFA referee’s questionable performance with the technology at Hearts’ win over Celtic in March.
That match led to weeks of fallout, with Brendan Rodgers receiving a one-match ban from the SFA due to his post-match remarks.
In the final, a significant penalty incident occurred when Rangers’ defender, Ben Davies, seemed to handle the ball in the penalty area, but there was no extensive VAR review before play continued.
This contentious decision has sparked extensive debate following Celtic’s victory at Hampden yesterday, with conflicting opinions from Neil Lennon and Scott Brown regarding the referee and VAR’s handling of the penalty claim.
While both seemed to lean towards it being a penalty according to modern standards, Lennon believed that Nick Walsh made the correct call.
Lennon remarked [Premier Sports], “Ben’s arm was in an unnatural position. It’s a tough call for him, but we’ve seen penalties given for such incidents. In the past, this might not have been given, but in the context of VAR this year, I’ve seen similar decisions awarded. It went in favor of Rangers, and that’s probably the right call.”
On the other hand, Scott Brown, while acknowledging that awarding a penalty would have been harsh, believed it should have been given.
Brown stated, “If the situation was reversed, Rangers would have demanded a penalty. In today’s game, I believe it should have been awarded. It might seem harsh, but it was a penalty.”
Former SFA referees Des Roache and Steve Conroy, known for their insights on Celtic-related controversies, shared their perspective that might not align with the Celtic fanbase. Roache tweeted from the account Behind The Whistles:
“I agree with Scott Brown on this one. For the referees to be consistent in their interpretation of the handball rule, Celtic should have been given the penalty. We’ve seen worse decisions go against the club since the introduction of VAR, and the failure to award the spot-kick by Walsh or Beaton spotlights the inconsistency in rule application.”
Fortunately, the penalty incident did not impact the final outcome, as Adam Idah’s late goal sealed the cup win, leading to jubilant celebrations akin to last weekend’s Trophy Day.