Celtic supporters watching the Hearts penalty drama against Motherwell were probably wondering what all the outrage was actually about.
Michael Stewart blasted the decision not to award Hearts a penalty, but the replay itself showed minimal contact and a reaction from the Hearts player that looked far more dramatic than the challenge.
Take a look at this:
Now, Celtic fans have seen this movie before with VAR not awarding penalties, but taking into account Kyzaridis’ theatrics, it’s little wonder the penalty was denied, making Stewart’s response to the decision look over the top.
VAR in Scottish football: incompetent refs, bad technology or both?
Michael Stewart’s Hearts outrage looked excessive
Michael Stewart said it was “wild” that the referee could review the Hearts incident against Motherwell and still refuse to award a foul or penalty.
Yet the footage shown in the Sky Sports clip hardly looked like a clear injustice. The contact appeared minimal and the Hearts player’s reaction immediately became the most noticeable part of the entire incident.
That is why many Celtic supporters are unlikely to take the outrage surrounding the decision particularly seriously.
Scottish football has spent the entire season turning marginal incidents into full-scale VAR debates, especially whenever title-race pressure increases.
An independent KMI review panel has already disagreed with multiple Premiership decisions this season, including incidents involving Celtic.
Scottish football has become obsessed with VAR controversy
Even if Stewart’s reaction felt exaggerated in this specific case, the wider frustration surrounding officiating standards did not appear from nowhere.
The current Premiership title race is so tight that every contentious decision now dominates discussion for days.
Willie Collum’s recent admission only increased scrutiny surrounding confidence in VAR and refereeing standards.
Martin O’Neill criticised parts of the VAR process earlier this season and described aspects of it as “debilitating” for referees.
Still, not every soft contact incident needs to become a national controversy.
The Hearts reaction against Motherwell summed up a growing problem in Scottish football where every debatable moment instantly turns into a VAR war, even when the footage itself leaves plenty open to interpretation.
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