Celtic have been at the centre of the latest VAR controversy in Scottish football following their 2-0 defeat to Heart of Midlothian last weekend.
As we all know, Hyunjun Yang was dismissed for a high challenge on Alex Cochrane, for which Don Robertson initially gave a yellow card before VAR him to the monitor for a second look.
Upon his return, the 37-year-old upgraded the caution to a straight red, sending the South Korea international for an early bath despite dubiety over whether his attempt to retain possession warranted such a punishment.
Tomoki Iwata was later reprimanded for a questionable handball offence that enabled Hearts to open the scoring from the spot.
Both decisions enraged Brendan Rodgers at full-time, prompting him to name one of the officials in his post-match press conference.
The Irishman 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.
Unfortunately, Celtic have tried and failed to see Yang’s dismissal rescinded in the wake of an official appeal, meaning the 21-year-old will now miss upcoming clashes against Livingston and St Johnstone.
No official explanation for the decision to uphold his two-match ban has been released into the public domain, though it is expected in writing this week.
Kenny Miller gives verdict on Celtic man Hyunjun Yang’s red card
Kenny Miller has played for both sides of the divide in Glasgow; however, he is definitely heralded to a greater extent across the city than at Parkhead.
Nevertheless, the former Scotland international has defended Yang amid controversy surrounding his challenge, claiming he shouldn’t have been sent off at Tynecastle.
Miller explained [Clyde 1 Superscoreboard]: “I don’t (think it was a red card). You just can’t throw everything in and put them into the same bracket.
“Yang has not went towards Cochrane with any real force; he’s clearly, as a player trying to just get his toe on it to flip it over Cochrane’s head and Cochrane’s came in.
He later added: “There is contact, there is definite contact on his head, but the contact was minimal. I know you could be saying endangering the opponent; I think had they been coming together and the foot was getting raised as they were moving, absolutely, that would’ve been endangering the opponent.
“His leg was going directly right in the air to try and get the ball. I don’t like seeing that as a red card; there’s no malice, there’s no force, I just felt it was really unlucky.”
Celtic will need to adapt amid Hyunjun Yang’s absence
It isn’t ideal to have Yang suspended for the next two matches, taking into account he has registered two assists in his last three Scottish Premiership appearances [Transfermarkt].
Despite this, an opportunity for someone else to stake a claim will open up, with Luis Palma and Nicolas Kuhn the most likely candidates to step into his shoes against Livingston on Sunday.
Veteran James Forrest is also waiting in the wings, and Rodgers did hint last month that the Prestwick-born man could be set for a key role during the season run-in.
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