Mark Clattenburg weighs in on ‘controversial’ Liam Scales penalty decision in Hibs vs Celtic

Add as preferred source on Google

Nick Walsh’s decision to penalise Liam Scales for a handball against Hibs was the latest in a long line of controversial decisions in Scotland.

The Celtic defender’s body was prepared to head the ball when it collided with his arm in rapid time.

And despite the action clearly not being deliberate, Grant Irvine sent Walsh to the monitor, and the outcome was inevitable.

Chris Sutton thought the decision was ‘harsh’ but Scales himself admitted that he expected the decision to go to VAR review.

But former elite referee Mark Clattenburg, speaking exclusively to 67 Hail Hail, was in no doubt that the Irishman was hard done by.

Mark Clattenburg on Liam Scales penalty decision in Celtic vs Hibs

The decision allowed Martin Boyle to halve the deficit from the spot, setting up a nervy finish to the game.

But in the end, Martin O’Neill’s side pulled through to reduce the gap at the top of the table to just two points.

READ MORE: Martin O’Neill leaves Sky panel in stitches with hilarious Celtic paperwork joke after Hibs win

So in the end, the decision didn’t impact the result. But it easily could’ve, and Clattenburg feels that there was nothing that Scales could have done about it.

He said: “It’s extremely harsh for the award of a VAR penalty for a handball by Liam Scales against Hibernian.

“The arms are in a natural position and he cannot do anything to change the arm position as another player makes an attempt to head the ball.

“Handball is so controversial and this is another example of this.”

Clattenburg refereed the FA Cup, Champions League and European Championships finals all in the same year in 2016.

We could do with someone of that pedigree helping out the referees at the SFA, given the number of inconsistent decisions we have seen so far this season.

What did Liam Scales say about his handball decision for Celtic vs Hibs?

Scales was honest about the decision – he didn’t say that it was a penalty, but he did admit that he expected the referee to go to the monitor.

The 27-year-old told Sky Sports: “Yeah, I’m not going to complain. I think my hand’s probably up.

“It just comes through a lot of bodies, and I just wasn’t anticipating it coming to me, you know?

“I’d have to watch it back, but at the time, I thought that it was going to go to VAR, and would probably be a penalty.

“Yeah, 100% [you don’t know if it’s going to go for or against you], but for me, I thought it was going to go to VAR and be a penalty.

“So, no complaints.”