Sky Sports have completely changed the conversation around Alistair Johnston’s challenge on Mikey Moore after publicly correcting a major detail from the original fallout.
That matters because the controversy quickly became less about the tackle itself and more about the claim that VAR officials had not seen the decisive angles during Celtic’s Glasgow Derby win.
That narrative no longer stands after Sky Sports issued a clarification confirming all footage was available to VAR during the review.
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Sky Sports’ Celtic correction changes everything
The broadcaster stated: “Sky Sports can clarify that all angles of Alistair Johnston’s tackle on Rangers’ Mikey Moore were available to VAR during Sunday’s Old Firm clash.
“It was suggested on Ref Watch that the VAR team, led by John Beaton, did not have the full range of angles available until half-time.
“However, the officials at Clydesdale House did in fact have all angles at their disposal.
“The decision was fully reviewed by the VAR team, who were satisfied that referee Nick Walsh’s decision to book Celtic defender Johnston was the correct outcome.”
That directly contradicts the earlier Ref Watch narrative which suggested officials may not have seen the full incident before deciding against a red card.
The key point now is simple. VAR reviewed every available angle and still backed Walsh’s original yellow card decision.
The Celtic debate was never as clear-cut as television coverage suggested
People can still believe Johnston was fortunate to stay on the pitch. Plenty of pundits argued exactly that after the match.
But others defended the decision, which immediately showed the challenge was not the universally obvious red card some coverage claimed it was.
That is why Sky Sports’ correction matters so much. The strongest argument against the officials was built around the idea that crucial footage had been missed.
Nick Walsh remains one of Scotland’s highest-ranked referees, while John Beaton and the VAR team reviewed the incident in full before deciding the booking should stand.
The real issue now is how quickly certainty formed around a Celtic story that turned out to be inaccurate.
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