For the second time this season, the SFA has got all the press singing from the same song sheet about a “controversial” (say, instead, scandalous) decision which has gone against Celtic. There has clearly been some briefing done and the party line has been pushed into the mainstream. As with the Jota goal, the “party line” is indefensible rubbish.
As I posted yesterday, the offside rule is so clear cut that there’s no room for interpretation. Except that there is one tiny loophole, and it is so ridiculous that I cannot recall it ever being used to justify a decision. When the ball is played by a defender it starts a “new phase of play”. That means that Abada was not offside when he latched onto the mistimed header.
But the key word there is “played” and if the defender wasn’t “trying” to play the ball – in short, if it hits him by accident – then the offside still stands. This, the press has been told, is the reason why the goal was chopped off.
And they’ve swallowed that. The defender who made the header wasn’t actually trying to play the ball. Have you ever heard such obvious rot in your life? That’s a joke, that’s a scandal that we’re being asked to accept that explanation … and it’s just as bad that so many people in the media have done exactly that, or pretend that they do.
I know some of them don’t believe what they are hearing in this case. I know some of them are seriously troubled by it. They have to be. Of all the excuses offered up for what looks, to all intents and purposes, like a wilful attempt to obstruct Celtic’s title tilt, that has to be the worst of the lot. That wasn’t an attempt to play the ball.
Let’s be blunt; even if you don’t think the decision itself brings them game into disrepute offering that as a justification for it certainly does. It makes the implementation of VAR here into a parody of what it ought to be. It makes it a joke.
And it makes Scottish football a laughing stock, and the media which is running with this nothing but paid clowns at the circus. Useful idiots flopping around on the matt, as the Big Top burns and the fans in the concession stands demand to know what they paid for.
Lol the best is yet to come wait till you see the decisions yes decisions that’s plural at ibrox in the game coming up against them,these previous decisions will be like a walk in the park compared to what’s coming next and the excuses that go with it.
GET THE PRESSURE ON THE SHITEBAGS SITTING ONNOUR BOARD JUST NOW.
Our board are totally responsible for what’s happening with the Scottish refs and VAR officials,they won’t and can’t say anything about these decisions because the SFA have got liewell by the baws,our board are just as corrupt as anyone in jockland football,you are right Scud until we stop feeding our greedy Tory board nothing will change ,we will stay at the back of the bus , welcome to the best bigoted little country in the world
This isn’t a shock. Given what occurred on the play, this was the only possible explanation while still abiding by the laws of the game. If they conceded that the Livi player deliberately played the ball, they would either have to admit they’re making decisions outside the laws of the game, or alternatively that they undertook a VAR review with the express purpose of disallowing a perfectly valid goal. The only thing that’s even mildly surprising is that it took them 2 full days to come up with this explanation.
Why is the Haksabanovic penalty not being questioned?
That excuse is like saying he didn’t mean to head the ball to Abada therefore he’s offside.
To attempt to say the player didn’t mean to head the ball is farcical. If that’s the case why did the player move towards the ball ?
Before VAR came in, if a player was offside and went for the ball, the flag only went up when he touched the ball.
So to that extent Abada, even though he moved towards the ball, wasn’t offside.
To conjure up this excuse is an abuse of VAR.
When VAR came jn we were told it was only to change “clear and obvious errors”. If you have to hunt through the rule book to find a spurious excuse then just is not clear and obvious.
The Bernabie handball was not clear and obvious because not one player claimed. That was an example of someone deliberately going looking for a foul where none existed.
Yet these same officials can watch a goalkeeper, who is holding a ball, drop it and then pick it back up again as the Ross County keeper did before the break. In that example the referee retrospectively awarded a freekick to Ross County to get the keeper out a hole.
They. That’s SPFL. VAR. Officials that’s Ref will eventually run out of verbal excuses and will be found out that they are all cheats and anti Celtic. But we will overcome this blatantly cheating to try and stop Celtic and Ange retaining the title and going for our 5th treble treble in 7year. We NEVER STOP We Keep GOING. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS?????
Why did livi not get a free kick then
And still we are silent!!!
Wow. That’s troubling. Had they at least used the Abada interfered with an opponent by running to the ball I’d have disagreed but accepted we assessed it differently. This though? That takes some brass neck. The defender who moved 4 or 5 paces towards a slowly looping ball and sticks his head on it didn’t deliberately play it?
Wow.
When the SFA said that there would be ‘teething’ trouble when VAR was introduced.
We could never have known that it meant they would be ‘Lying through their Teeth’.
How long will it be before Bookies start taking bets on absurd VAR decisions.
I just hope someone is keeping a log of all these pathetic decisions to show the world how corrupt Scottish football really is.
I remember saying to the guy next to me at the game ,we need another goal here just to take the wind out Livingstone ‘s sails and put the game beyond them.
We did get it ,but obviously the MIBs thought along the same lines and found a way to disallow the goal .
Look let’s all just be grown up about this now , the livi player went to clear the ball and lost his footing under no pressure from an opponent and we scored a perfectly good goal .
I know it , we know it and they know it .
At 3-1 the game was won and the 3 pts were secure ,at 2- 1 the chance of dropped points was there till the end of the 7 added mins .
So spare us all the bovine excrement about whether the defender meant to play the ball or not .
He CLEARY did and the officials made sure the points were not going to be secured till the final whistle .
Please please please….stop using the word “VAR”….. it’s not a machine that makes these calls it’s a grade 1 referee telling another grade 1 referee cheat and I will back you up…. and the SFA/SPFL and the SMSM will do so as well
We all know Celtic, the board need to speak up as so many out there and on this blog continually state. Me too. Though if anyone actually thinks the SFA will respond properly then good luck with that. That would mean, in effect, admitting that there’s been cheating taking place, under their watch, and thus ultimately sanctioned by them. At best we might improve our situation a little, for a while.
Everyone with the good of Celtic need to speak out about this corruption; Tom Boyd, legend sir, should be only the start. We need more than Sutton and Hartson’s voices of discontent added to that. Where is your head at Packy Bonner?
Ange does need to speak up too. He hasn’t been brought up with this orange hand of influence over society, that’s true, but he has bore witness to other intrinsic racist oppression, he’s an honest man and knows what’s right and wrong in a sporting context and morally. This man has sparked a revival at the club, in the team and in us, the fans. We owe him our backing.
We too need to speak up, louder than we do, louder than we have. Spread some var compilations to friends and family, home and away. C’mon a Hoops
And now it appears that Boyes was barged by Abada as he attempted to clear. Anybody notice that and why is it being belatedly brought up?