Celtic have decided to appeal Hyunjun Yang’s red card received during the 2-0 defeat to Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle yesterday.
The South Korea international was sent off for a high boot on Alex Cochrane inside 16 minutes despite Don Robertson initially issuing a booking for the challenge.
Nevertheless, VAR intervened, and Yang was given his marching orders on a day fraught with controversy surrounding the officiating on display.
Just before the interval, Tomoki Iwata was penalised for a handball despite not facing the play that eventually gifted the home side an opportunity to open the scoring from 12 yards through Jorge Grant.
English midfielder Grant confidently dispatched for the hosts before Lawrence Shankland doubled their advantage in the second 45, ensuring the home side claimed three points on a day of drama in the capital.
Speaking post-match, Brendan Rodgers was enraged by both outcomes and made his feelings known to the media following the Bhoys’ defeat.
He stated: “I never like to comment on officials; it’s not something I do. But that cost us today. The officiating from on the field to John Beaton being in VAR, that was really, really poor.”
Celtic issue firm statement on events that occurred at Tynecastle
On their official club website, Celtic have released a firm statement confirming their intention to appeal Yang’s red card alongside citing ‘serious concerns’ at the usage of VAR during proceedings.
In full, the announcement reads: “Celtic Football Club can confirm that it will be appealing the red card issued to Hyunjun Yang during Sunday’s match against Hearts at Tynecastle.
“We have also written to the SFA to raise our serious concerns regarding the use of VAR and the decisions made within the match.
“As we have said before, for some time Celtic has sought to work with the footballing authorities with the aim of improving standards associated with refereeing and the use of VAR in Scotland, something which is clearly in the wider interests of everyone within the game.”
For now, we will need to wait on whether Yang’s appeal is successful; meanwhile, supporters are bound to be intrigued by the club’s bold move to point out troubles within the officiating process involving VAR.
Clearly, there is a deep sense of frustration held by the Parkhead hierarchy over events at Tynecastle, which has constructed a storm that is unlikely to die down any time soon.
Hopefully, we can see a resolution that can clarify the situation as we continue to hunt down a domestic double this term.
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