Willie Collum, the head of refereeing in Scotland, has strongly criticized the controversial penalty decision during the recent Rangers vs. Celtic match, calling it “unacceptable.” The incident occurred during Rangers’ 1-0 defeat to Celtic at Hampden, when Vaclav Cerny was fouled by Celtic’s Liam Scales near the edge of the penalty area.
The penalty was not awarded by referee John Beaton, and the VAR team, comprising Alan Muir and Frank O’Connor, failed to intervene. As a result, the VAR officials have been dropped from officiating upcoming fixtures.
Speaking on the SFA’s VAR Review podcast on December 19, Collum expressed his frustration with the decision.
“It’s a really, really poor decision. It’s an unacceptable decision. The VAR team know that. Everybody in refereeing knows that it’s unacceptable,” Collum stated.
The incident has sparked considerable debate, particularly among Rangers fans, who feel the penalty could have altered the outcome of the match. Had the penalty been awarded during extra time, Rangers could have secured a win and claimed another League Cup title.
The missed call has drawn significant criticism, with many questioning how the VAR team failed to spot the error made by referee John Beaton. “It’s disappointing that the VAR didn’t intervene,” Collum added, emphasizing that the technology is there to prevent such mistakes.