Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has hit out at the Ibrox VAR flashpoint, insisting he found it ‘incredible’ Connor Goldson’s handball wasn’t checked by John Beaton.
As Celtic went on the hunt for an equaliser on Monday afternoon, the Hoops looked as though they could be within a shout of receiving a spot-kick.
This came from the ball appearing to strike the hands of Gers defender Connor Goldson after he blocked an effort from Celtic’s Carl Starfelt.
There was a quick check of the decision from VAR official Willie Collum. However, on-field referee John Beaton was told to continue play and not take a look back at the incident.
This left many watching surprised that John Beaton wasn’t at least sent to review the decision on the pitchside VAR monitor, especially considering some of the handball calls in the Scottish Premiership this season.
Writing in his column for the Daily Record, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton holds that same opinion, as he stated he found it ‘incredible’ that Beaton wasn’t sent to at least review the call.
He said [Daily Record]: “It’s not about John Beaton not going over to have a look. He’s acting on advice he’s getting from the VAR officials, and they’ve told him he’s made the correct call that it was not a penalty.
“But I find that incredible. It’s not up for debate – it was a penalty kick. That would have been given every single time in England. There wouldn’t even be an argument.
“Some people are saying Goldson was protecting his face, what, with his hands above his head? Come off it. That is nonsense.
“You are talking about a big, tough, centre half, he wasn’t ducking down to protect his face. He made himself bigger. You can twist the rulebook any way you want, but it’s down to interpretation, and we’ve seen that kind of penalty all the time.
“You have to wonder what Willie Collum in the VAR hut is doing in that situation. What is he seeing? It makes you wonder, is it incompetence or did he just bottle out of making the big call?
“Who knows, but it was a terrible decision. There have been a lot of poor handball calls this season, some really stupid decisions. It’s all about being the arms being outside the silhouette of the body and so on, so if your arms are up where Goldson’s were, there was absolutely nowhere for the officials to go.
“Whether Celtic deserved something out of the game or not is irrelevant – that’s a huge moment.”
Scottish Football supporters looking for clarification and consistency as VAR issues continue.
VAR’s first few months in Scottish Football have been far from ideal, with even more controversy being created for clubs and supporters across the top flight.
It is clear to see that club officials and supporters alike need more clarification and consistency from the SFA and officials in this country.
Late last night, it was reported that Celtic were seeking talks with Hampden officials to discuss the issues that have been on display with the new technology.
And that is the right move to be making, not only for the sake of the Hoops but also the entire Scottish Premiership.
The way VAR has been used since its arrival in October simply hasn’t been good enough, especially when it is the club who are funding its introduction.
So, we must seek out more clarification and look to how officials can be helped to improve after a frustrating few months of the new technology.
Ultimately, seeing our referees improve will only benefit the Scottish game. So hopefully, we can see those steps taken in the next few months. You certainly wouldn’t blame anyone for not holding their breath in that regard, though.
In other news, Celtic officials set for SFA talks as Bhoys hierarchy seek VAR clarification.
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