Celtic hero Pat Bonner has hit out at Auston Trusty’s red card as Hearts pundit Ryan Stevenson questions how the DOGSO rule has been applied?
Hoops defender Trusty was sent off with Celtic 2-1 up with less than 15 minutes left to play when the US defender was caught up in a red card row.
A clash with Hearts striker Kabore was initially deemed a yellow card offence before John Beaton on VAR decided to intervene to encourage Steven McLean to have another look at the Celtic defender’s challenge.
Is Martin O’Neill correct? The Celtic boss was fuming!
The American’s yellow was upgraded to a red and that call left Celtic boss Martin O’Neill raging as the Bhoys were eventually pegged back from a winning position to draw the game.
But reacting to the decision in the moment, BBC match pundits Bonner and Stevenson were in complete agreement as they discussed the VAR intervention that reduced Celtic to ten men inside Tynecastle.
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Pat Bonner rejects Celtic red card ‘from the rules perspective’
There has been a lot of mental gymnastics from some corners of social media and pundits as they try and justify the red card based on the DOGSO rule.
But Bonner simply wasn’t having any of it.
Bonner said on BBC Radio Scotland, “Well, you know, listen, every Hearts supporter in here will hope it’s a red card. Celtic fans, the opposite. We have to call it.
“Yeah, but I’m looking at it from the rules perspective, he wasn’t last man.
“Decisions made. I don’t agree with it, but the decisions made, I know Ryan [Stevenson], I don’t think you agree with it, either, when we looked at it in the clear situation that we have seen from up here.
“But that’s the way it works.”
That is the way it works, and even the Hearts pundit questioned the VAR intervention.
Hearts pundit Stevenson questions DOGSO at Celtic red card
Ryan Stevenson is well-known for his Celtic criticism over the last few weeks, but even the former Hearts man couldn’t understand the decision.
Stevenson replied, “I would like to see it again. But from what I’m seeing the ball, I don’t even know if the ball is in the actual 18 yard box? It looks as if it’s going wider.
“So then, is that a goalscoring opportunity? You’ve then got to assess, is he going to then get the ball with two or three players?”
Bonner and Stevenson are absolutely bang on the money here. As Celtic appeal the decision, it will be interesting to see what Willie Collum and the SFA KMI Panel make of it all over the coming weeks.
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