‘Shots fired’… Celtic penalty meltdown continues as SFA official is ridiculed

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There has been plenty said about Celtic’s penalty at Kilmarnock.

The vast majority of Celtic supporters are convinced that the decision was correct and that the spot kick award was justified.

Former SFA referee Des Roache, on the other hand, is not. Roache fired criticism at Willie Collum and John Beaton for the award and the reaction to the late Celtic penalty drama.

And now, the former referee has pinpointed one SFA-appointed official as a figure of ridicule as he continues his rants about the Celtic penalty a full 48 hours later.

• READ MORE: Ex-SFA referee blasts Willie Collum and John Beaton about Celtic penalty vs Kilmarnock

VAR operator ridiculed over Celtic’s penalty at Kilmarnock

Roache was pulling no punches as he targeted VAR operator Matthew McDermid for his role in the controversial Celtic decision.

Roache told Hotline Live, “See to be very harsh. See the fact Matthew McDermid’s calling you across? That would be the first look for me to say I don’t want to take that advice.

Keith Jackson: “Oh, shots fired!”

Michael Gannon [laughing} “Oh, I love it. Love it.”

Roache: “At no point, at no point is that intentional, is it unnatural? Are his arms out to deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

“There is just nothing there that should qualify that as a penalty kick. And what I also found quite intriguing was that we had put out a post on social media and within 10 minutes the Scottish FA had put something out to try and justify it. I found that strange.”

What next for VAR after Celtic controversy?

VAR has caused more controversies than it’s solved in this three-year stay in Scotland.

Celtic have suffered more than their fair share of dubious calls compared to other clubs in the country.

As Willie Collum tried to offer transparency with his monthly The VAR Review show, fans and players are losing their patience with the video referee.

VAR is here to stay but it is clear that no matter what decisions the officials make, scrutiny and scorn will always be poured upon them until the standards from the SFA-appointed officials improve and get more decisions correct.