Celtic’s appeal against Auston Trusty’s red card has been rejected by the SFA, with the Parkhead club also handed a fine and left furious at what they describe as a serious issue with how VAR is being used.
Trusty was dismissed during Celtic’s defeat to Hibernian at the weekend, and while manager Martin O’Neill acknowledged that his player should not have reacted the way he did, he was nonetheless unhappy with the decision. The SFA’s ruling confirmed that the original sanction stands, with Trusty’s red card for violent conduct reinstated with immediate effect. Celtic have also been ordered to pay a £650 appeal deposit within 30 days.
The club wasted no time in responding, releasing a pointed statement the moment the verdict was communicated to them. Celtic expressed deep disappointment at the outcome, arguing that a three-match suspension for what they described as arm-to-arm contact, as Trusty attempted to free himself from being held before the ball came into play, was disproportionate and out of step with how similar incidents are treated across Scottish football on a weekly basis.
The most striking element of the statement concerned the match audio. According to Celtic, the referee had seen the incident clearly in real time and was heard saying he considered it nothing and intended only to speak to the players involved. No further action was his initial instinct. VAR then intervened and effectively reversed that on-field judgment, a development Celtic described as VAR choosing to re-referee a decision that had already been made.
The club said they are awaiting the written judgment but made clear that this incident, alongside other recent decisions, points to a significant and urgent problem with the deployment of VAR in Scottish football.
Trusty will now serve a three-match ban, sitting out Celtic’s Premiership fixtures against Rangers, Aberdeen and Motherwell. O’Neill faces a selection dilemma at the back, with a decision needed on whether Benjamin Arthur or Dane Murray comes in for what could be a pivotal clash at Ibrox.