The Ref’s View sparked debate after claiming Rangers were denied a “clear penalty” during Celtic Women’s Scottish Cup final victory.
The problem with that verdict is simple. The footage does not appear to support it, and neither does the reaction from Rangers manager Leanne Crichton.
Football fans can disagree over subjective decisions. What is much harder to defend is the certainty behind two former SFA referees in Des Roache and Steve Conroy declaring Rangers were denied a clear penalty when the evidence suggests something far less obvious.
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Footage raises serious questions about the Rangers penalty claim vs Celtic
The incident became a major talking point after Celtic’s cup final win, with The Ref’s View insisting Rangers should have had a late spot kick.
However, the available BBC footage appears to show the Celtic defender getting a touch on the ball, raising serious questions about claims the decision was a clear and obvious error.
That alone makes it difficult to understand how anyone could describe the decision as clear. It also adds to what many Celtic supporters feel has been a growing pile-on over VAR decisions involving the club in recent weeks.
Supporters may still feel a penalty should have been given. That is a legitimate football debate. Calling it obvious is another matter entirely.
Leanne Crichton’s reaction to penalty call says plenty
Crichton had every reason to be frustrated after Rangers lost the final.
Yet the Rangers manager did not go anywhere near as far as The Ref’s View. She admitted she was unsure, described the incident as “50-50” and said she would have expected VAR to send referee Abbie Hendry to the monitor if there had been something clear to see.
That is a measured response from the manager of the losing side. It also makes the “clear penalty” claim look even weaker.
VAR is there to correct clear and obvious errors. It is not there to re-referee every challenge that creates disagreement.
If the footage shows a Celtic touch on the ball, and even the Rangers manager stops short of calling it a clear penalty, then the argument for VAR intervention simply does not hold up.
There is nothing wrong with analysing controversial incidents. There is also nothing wrong with believing Rangers had a case.
What does not stand up to scrutiny is the claim that this was a clear penalty and a major officiating mistake. The footage, the VAR outcome and Crichton’s own comments all point in the other direction.
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