Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell was fuming after seeing Celtic awarded a late penalty at Rugby Park.
Celtic beat Kilmarnock in late dramatic fashion as the scores were tied at 1-1 with just seconds to go.
Daizen Maeda opened the scoring ten minutes into the second half and David Watson must have thought he had secured a point after his powerful header in the 82nd minute pulled Kilmarnock level with Celtic.
But after a penalty was awarded for a handball in the 96th minute, Kelechi Iheanacho stepped up to coolly fire home the spot kick to send Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers back to Glasgow happy.
But Kilmarnock boss Kettlewell was fuming and after listening to what he was told by the SFA in a pre-season meeting, Celtic fans will find it hard to argue against him.
Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell on what he was told at an SFA meeting about handballs
Speaking post-match, Kettlewell was visibly fuming as he told Sky Sports why he had such an issue with the penalty being awarded to Celtic this afternoon.
Kettlewell told Sky Sports Scotland, “This is where I’ll try and be factual in it. We’ll all debate and we’ll all start talking about it.
“I’ve spoken to a few people in here in-house and outwith, and there’s just amazement that it’s awarded as a penalty.
“The reason why is we sat at a meeting at the start of the season, and we were told that if a ball ricochets off an opponent player or your own player from such distance, which the two players are almost touching each other trying to block the ball, and the ball’s going across the goal, it’s not going into the net, then that’s not going to be a penalty anymore.
“That’s what myself, I heard that the staff heard that the players heard that. So again, it’s where we come back round in a circle and we ask for confirmation. Is that the case, or is it not the case?”
Stuart Kettlewell’s reaction when told the guidance sent to Sky Sports from the SFA about Celtic’s penalty
After being told the reason that Celtic were awarded the penalty was because the Kilmarnock defender’s arm was in an unnatural position, this didn’t placate Kettlewell.
Kettlewell continued, “This is where I feel like I’m somebody that’s black and white, and that if I’m told something, I’ll stick to it, and I think the players will as well.
“But if we’re told that at the start of the season, is that the wrong information, or has that been changed? Or are we looking up on it different once we actually get to the VAR screen?
“You’re sent over there and you see that type of incident. So I’m not saying the decision’s right or wrong. What I’m saying is it’s different from what I was told and the players were told.
“It’s not for me to agree or disagree, I’m only trying to give them my fact. My statement is that I heard something different in the pre-season meeting we had with officials.
“And from my mind and what was said in that room, we’re not going to give penalties for that type of situation. If that’s different, then I’m then starting to question the information that we got at the start of the season.”
The penalty award did seem a wee bit harsh and, if it was awarded against Celtic, there would have been plenty of fans who would have had a problem with it.
Next up for Celtic is a home game against Hibs for the first game since the infamous battle with board began.
Whilst three points will be the order of the day, the likelihood of another demonstration against the Celtic board will be high.
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