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Celtic Lead At Half Time In Spite Of Two More VAR Shockers Against Us.

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There is a belief that teams coming to Celtic Park get nothing. There was a belief that VAR would not change that, that the home team influence refs to give decisions in our favour and that the technology would only make matters worse. We would get calls for everything and we would give absolutely nothing away. That first half blows that out the water.

The penalty decision is disgusting. Sibbald could easily have been red-carded for his high assault on Giakoumakis. Neither of those decisions went Celtic’s way. To be frank, I’ve already started to wonder whether this is a grave, grave mistake.

The penalty is a shocker. If that’s a spot kick then everything that goes near a player’s arm in the box is a spot-kick and the penalty count quotient is about to go through the roof, with a lot of them falling against our club. That a ref can watch that several times, from different angles, and conclude that it’s a penalty – and a booking for God’s sake – is mind-bending.

Ange will be asked. Ange will give his answer where he only wants to talk about the game and we’ll all understand that, especially as we have refused to let the controversy break up our attacking rhythm. But serious questions already need to be asked about how decisions are going to be made with this thing. Too much is still left to the interpretations of people we have no real reason to trust. Over and over again we’ve made this point.

Refs need to be asked to give full, comprehensive explanations for these decisions and where they get them wrong they need to be censured by the governing body. Everyone makes mistakes, but some of these are glaring and obvious and that calls into question the idea that we’re watching mistakes at all. The pattern all runs one way right now.

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  • Benjamin says:

    CelticTV broke the penalty decision down at halftime. Simon Donnelly was adamant and very animated that it was never a penalty. Then they went through the rule as it is currently written by IFAB. At the end of that Simon altered his view somewhat saying that by the rule it’s a penalty, but that the rule is wrong. And I think that’s a fair assessment.

    Essentially we’re in a place where if the ball goes off a defenders arm and the arm is outstretched away from their body, the penalty is going to be given every time regardless of any other circumstance. And it appears that this interpretation is not limited to Scotland as there were several instances of this in the CL this year as well.

    The only real scandalous part of this interpretation is the decision two weeks ago against Hearts.

    • Martin says:

      I’m not sure that even by the letter of the law it’s a handball offence. He certainly makes his body bigger but easy to argue as a natural consequence of his movement. Also he’s looking the other way. I’d never give that in my games. But if that’s the standard in spfl so be it… Then the one at hearts was a stick on.

  • John Copeland says:

    Ex grade 1referee ,fully trained up expert on VAR technology,Kenny Clark admitted on BBC Sportsound that we don’t have as many angles to scrutinize decisions in Scotland , as England ,Germany ,or France ! In other words our cheapskate governing bodies are using less cameras to view the correct and proper rules of the game through VAR . If you ever felt like a second class citizen in your own country ,that’s it right there !We are being cheated and conned by the cowboys who run our game , masquerading as the establishment ! A brand new era for our football rules and we are being stiffed because of the financial cost ! For Shame !

    • Roonsa says:

      You didn’t need any more angles to make a call. I don’t think it was a pen but I took on board what Simon Donnelly said at HT. I am very interested to hear what Michael Stewart has to say about it. He can only say it wasn’t a pen. Let’s see.

  • Michael Conway says:

    These decisions are absolutely disgusting,the Celtic board really do have to step up to the plate and take the refs & var to task,show Ange & the players you have there backs

  • Roonsa says:

    As for the high boot on Jacko. It shouldn’t have even gone to VAR. It’s a free kick, possible yellow card but nothing more. The ref was wrong for missing the challenge. He had a very poor first half but I don’t think there were any major miscarriages of justice going by the letter of the law.

  • Play/Fair says:

    We have to push to impartial referees (from another country) in the meantime celtic should make a huge stink at the sfa regarding these interpretations,honest mistakes. Ask for the VAR officials to be completely neutral would have to be from another country not bigoted biased Scotland, the TV a screen in England,France or Spain are the same screens our corrupt referees are watching in Glasgow. That would solve a lot of serious problems,there’s no delay with modern technology no matter what country .
    Would solve half the problem!

  • Elboy says:

    It’s not just the times VAR is being called upon it is the times when incidents are being ignored. Handball & Hearts being the most glaring but even today. We had Jota being thrown to the ground just inside the box & also Carter Vickers tripped inside the box in the first half. These flashpoints being ignored are just as bad as the ridiculous pen that was given against us. Also the VAR for possible Red Card. How that’s not been given is beyond belief. Even if it’s not red (it was) it’s a yellow & a free kick. The game restarts with a throw-in? Someone needs to explain?

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