Celtic Liam Scales has been left confused about the application of the handball rule in Scottish football after a controversial 90 minutes at Tynecastle last week.
Hearts were awarded a penalty after Tomoki Iwata was judged to have handled the ball, leading to the home side’s opening goal in a 2-0 win.
Iwata was off balance and couldn’t see the ball, which also may have come off another player immediately before hitting his elbow.
It was a crazy decision which has drawn the ire of manager Brendan Rodgers and many pundits in the aftermath.
Liam Scales on Celtic handball confusion vs Hearts
For Scales and the Celtic players, it was all utterly confusing.
The defender said in a media conference today when asked if players are clear on what constitutes a handball: “Some might be, I’m not really, to be honest. It surprised me, watching it back especially.
“No one on the pitch really knew what had happened. Tomoki didn’t even know until half-time that it was given against him. It might have even been given against Ali, I’m not sure myself. It was surprising, but that’s football.
“I’ve taken that arms behind the back approach when you’re blocking shots or pressing an opponent because you know if they shoot and it’s going towards the goal and it hits your arm then it’s a handball.
“But physically it’s difficult to jump without using your arms to get yourself up. When there’s contact involved between players your limbs are pushed in different ways and react differently. Sometimes it’s out of your control and it’s really hard to defend naturally when these things are in your mind.”
Scales was also questioned on the use of VAR in general and he acknowledged it can be difficult for players to deal with, stating: “It’s completely changed the game. You’re constantly waiting – for every goal that is scored you’re waiting to see if it’s disallowed or every challenge you’re waiting to see if it’s pulled back. You always have to be ready for the decision to be changed which is difficult at times.”
It’s not a good sign for the game or the SFA’s application of rules if players are left utterly bemused by decisions and confused about how their play will be interpreted going forward.
Iwata did nothing wrong at Tynecastle yet the player and Celtic were left punished. It’s not just an issue with the Bhoys either – multiple teams have shared their displeasure with the use of VAR and refereeing in this country this season.
Improvement is needed, but it seems the SFA are too busy citing managers for sharing their opinions rather than tackling the issues that matter.
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