Controversy is never far away when Celtic are involved, and Wednesday night’s match at Pittodrie provided another flashpoint for debate.
Late in the first half, Celtic players appealed strongly for a penalty when they believed Aberdeen defender Jack Milne had handled the ball. Sebastian Tounekti’s cross did make contact with the Aberdeen player’s arm, but referee Nick Walsh waved the appeals away, VAR chose not to intervene, and Dermot Gallagher backed both decisions when reviewing the incident on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch.
Gallagher’s reasoning was straightforward. He felt the ball arrived too quickly and too close for the defender to do anything about it, and noted that Milne’s arm was tucked in rather than in an extended position. His verdict was clear: not a penalty.
Celtic went on to win the match, but the decision continued to generate discussion. Sitting alongside Gallagher was former Premier League player Jay Bothroyd, who pointed to the strict approach Scottish officials have taken to handball decisions throughout the season and suggested that, on that basis, a spot kick might have been expected. Gallagher held his ground, reiterating that the arm was down by the defender’s side and that the contact did not meet the threshold.
What makes the exchange particularly interesting is the contrast with Gallagher’s comments from just the previous weekend. After Celtic were awarded a penalty at Ibrox when Dujon Sterling was penalised for handball, Gallagher had praised Scottish officials for being completely consistent in their application of the handball rule, saying that whenever the ball strikes an arm, the referee points to the spot or VAR steps in to flag it. It was precisely those comments that Bothroyd was referencing when raising the Aberdeen incident.
Gallagher’s position appears to be that the two situations are genuinely different, with the Milne incident falling below the threshold due to the proximity of the ball and the position of the arm. Whether Celtic supporters see it that way is another matter entirely.