There are a few unhappy bears citing Celtic’s penalty call at Ibrox after a call concerning Alex Gogic today.
In a vital moment in the title race, John Beaton pointed to the spot after VAR review, punishing Dujon Sterling for a handball block of Daizen Maeda’s header.
The SFA KMI panel unanimously ruled in agreement with the decision, which led to Reo Hatate scoring a late equaliser on the rebound from his spot-kick.
Whilst this is far from a defence of the standard of refereeing in Scotland, it is a clear reality check on the difference between two incidents.
VAR in Scottish football: incompetent refs, bad technology or both?
Celtic comparison to Rangers penalty claim doesn’t hold up
In Rangers’ match away at St Mirren today, there were desperate calls – from players and fans alike – for Steven McLean to be sent to the monitor to review a potential handball by Gogic.
Many Bluenoses on X are comparing the call to the Sterling incident, despite the Saints defender’s arm clearly being by his side.
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When you compare this with the call from a fortnight ago, the difference in arm position is night and day. You may think both are penalties, you may think neither are, it doesn’t matter; they are fundamentally different.
With every angle, it becomes clearer that Sterling’s arm is stretched far from his body, blocking the ball on its path to goal:
These rules are applied consistently, too. At Pittodrie earlier this month, Martin O’Neill complained that Celtic were denied a clear penalty after a handball claim against Aberdeen’s Jack Milne.
This wasn’t given for the same reason as Gogic’s on Sunday – the players’ arms were by his side, being deemed a natural position by the referee.
If you wanted any more proof of how hysterical we get over VAR in this country, Peter Leven refused to believe the offside lines drawn for Benjamin Nygren’s winner in that same game.
Trust and patience with refereeing has never been so low in Scotland, but let’s at least have a bit of common sense…
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Dermot Gallagher on Celtic penalty vs Rangers
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher said that Scottish referees were ‘100% consistent’ on the handball rule.
He said: “[It’s] absolutely consistent with what they have done all season.
“I saw one replay, and I thought ‘this was going to be a penalty’, because, you ask for consistency, they are 100% consistent on the handball application in Scotland. No doubt about it.
“Every time that happens, the referee always points to the spot. Or if the referee doesn’t see it, the VAR alerts him like he has done here.”
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