Late last month, as everyone knows, Willie Collum, Scottish football’s new head of referees, made the rounds of the broadcasting studios and the national newspapers and he gave a series of interviews about the changes he wants to implement.
This website argued that those proposals should get a fair hearing. Because Collum is an experienced official in a job which has been crying out for that, and if he can’t bring some order and sanity to this then there are few in Scotland who can.
But just this weekend, the first of the new campaign, we’ve already seen decisions at Celtic Park and Tynecastle that almost defy belief.
Yesterday, the club from Ibrox escaped a decision so egregious that a famous refereeing podcast surveyed its officials, asked for their verdicts and got back a unanimous response: by the letter of the law, it was a spot kick and should have been given.
Today at Celtic Park, the Kilmarnock goalkeeper cleaned out Kyogo Furuhashi when he was through on goal, and once again, no penalty was awarded.
Collum is new in this job, but that does not let him off the hook.
We need transparency and accountability in our sport.
Last week, we all presumed that he meant what he said, and now he’s going to have to front up and prove it. Leaders stand up and hold people to account, regardless of how new they are in their role. Collum promised us those things. He has to deliver on that, and it is up to the fans, the media, and the clubs to make sure he does.
Neither of those decisions is really defensible.
The one at Tynecastle was as obvious a penalty as you’ll ever see and is the kind of penalty kick that will be awarded dozens of times this season for sure.
The one at Celtic Park today was arguably just as bad. What was incredible about it is that the Sky team initially thought it had been overlooked due to an offside; they later clarified that and said that in fact there was no offside.
The VAR team just didn’t think it was a penalty. To me, that’s ridiculous.
And if that explanation seems bad, the one given for why the penalty was denied at Tynecastle yesterday is even more absurd.
The broadcasters made the completely spurious claim that there’s been a relaxing of the regulations this season. If there has been a relaxing of the regulations, shouldn’t it be written down somewhere so everyone is aware? Is this just another reinterpretation that’s going to cause more controversy? It seems reasonable to suggest that if there’s been a rule change, that rule change should be written down somewhere.
Yet, the officials who spoke on that podcast last night made it clear that the rulebook looks exactly as it did last season. Therefore, there is no reason under the law why that penalty was denied.
Collum has promised us transparency. That means that those decisions—the one today and the one yesterday—need to be properly explained, not just with some vague off-the-record briefing, but in an on-the-record, honest-to-God full accounting of what happened and why. And if that comes from Collum himself, all the better.
There has to be accountability. The VAR officials are ultimately responsible for catching any mistake the on-pitch official makes. For those guys, with the benefit of instant replay and their understanding of the rulebook, to get those decisions wrong is simply unacceptable, even this early in the season, even with people allegedly still learning their jobs.
To be frank, that’s just another excuse. These people are all experienced officials and should know their jobs already.
Any suggestion that this is part of a learning curve should not be taken seriously. If these guys aren’t up to the job, they shouldn’t be in the job.
As the dust settles from this weekend, it seems readily apparent that mistakes have been made and that the VAR officials have screwed this up.
That should not go unanswered and there needs to be some action on it, whatever that may be. If Collum talks about accountability but doesn’t deliver any, if he talks a good game but can’t produce, then he’s just as bad as the last guy, and Scottish football is in exactly the same place as it was.
And it is not for nothing that we call that the era of the Honest Mistakes.
Going to play devil’s advocate here, maybe they are just terrible at their jobs. Before I left for Celtic, I watched some of the Dundee derby today, the keeper comes out gets lobbed and catches the attacker with no action taken. Any other player makes that challenge it’s a free kick and possibly a red, VAR waived it away in seconds.
I wish the Bookies would take certain Bets of the nature of Sevco Benefiting from a suspect decision and Celtic being a victim of one on any Particular Matchday? I could buy a Mansion in the Bahamas. Lol!
Normal service resumes where left off seasons gone by,, looks like another artificially doped season ahead to keep a certain side relavent and in touch,,
Isn’t it amazing on the first weekend that the two major flahpoints end up with the Rainjurs benefitting from one and the other blatantly anti-Celtic. Who would have thought. New season-same biased refereeing.
They called it ‘honest mistakes’ – Well I think we should highlight it as what it bloody well is…
DISHONEST MISTAKES and DELIBERATE DISHONEST at that –
So it’s deja vu, same again and again and again…
One club benefits another doesn’t –
Guess which way that panned out then !
Spot on James. We should not be letting anyone off the hook just because we got the win and they didn’t. They probably gained a point and we probably scored one goal leas than we might have.
If we were to lose the title on goal difference, will anyone remember today?
Don’t let up, James.
Bastards.
Great point Roonsa !
I well remember back in early 2005 and ironically as we are discussing the clubs that played this weekend (well one is original the other is 12 years and 8 days old – Heart of Midlothian and Sevco – respectfully) But anyway Hearts we’re robbed in March 2005 by a blatant cheat with a flag called Andy Davies, a Traffic cop from Ayrshire no less – so nuff’ said there then me thinks…
Anyway when he flagged for an injury time penalty to ‘Rangers’ as they were known then as Sotrios Kyrgiakos mysteriously flew through thin air at Tynecastle the die was cast… ‘Rangers’ scored and won the match and won the title by a point…
Thanks to Andy Davies – But remember, Guys like me haven’t gone away ya know……
I wrote to the then Hearts chairman George Foulkes – A Butchers Apron loving Labour MP in support of the travesty that befell his club and never got a reply bar a slip of club headed livery…
A Labour Butchers Apron Lover – What the fuck else should I have expected I guess !
Baby Dallas was in charge of VAR at Tyncastle on Saturday.
He chose not to review a flagrant abuse of the rules, in doing so he’s is making a rod for his own back and has given his brothers in the Masonic Order and fellow referees a mountain to climb.
A mountain to climb Robert… Nah a greasy, slimy, shit smeared pole to the top of the corrupt SFA Scummy Ladder !
I was screaming for a penalty in the first half when Kyogo was wiped out by the keeper in an almost identical situation.
No one around me seemed bothered, but I was perplexed as to how they were not given.
We’re that fuckin used to it now MCG that we’ve became blasé to it all…
Bloody tragic but true nonetheless !
If I were a Hearts fan, I’d be very very concerned by Steven Naismith stating in his post match interview that he agreed that it was not a penalty. I was gobsmacked by that statement. Once a Ranger……………
Once a Ranger (when they were alive)… But now a Sevco – But they hate him because he told The TRUTH about them being a new CLUB (Please Fholks never use the phrase Newco – Whatever That means – it’s always gotta be NewClub from a Celtic supporter point of view to contradict The lying Scummy Scottish Football Media)…
He is not liked by Sevco Huns because of that statement back then though I hugely admire him for it, but yep, he might be after The Hotseat at Liebrox and trying to re-curry favour with them by saying what was a stonewall penalty to Hearts wasn’t…
But as ya say Dan, Fuck knows what The Hearts fans think about him saying that and also Halliday when he was with them bumming up all things Sevco on Clyde Superscoreboard…
There again being The Butchers Apron loving Calvinistic bar stewards that they are, they probably won’t even give a Continental Fuck !
Clach, have you ever read ‘The death of Rangers in 55 quotes’ ? If not, I suggest that you do. It’s hilarious.
Hail Hail.
Thanks Magua ! – Will check it out and I’m sure it’ll be awesome as Celtic supporters have no equal when it comes to fun, wit and laughter !
The Paddy Power tweet explains it clearly, James …
VAR: “Nick, the cross clearly hits his arm, but having checked the replay, you can see the ‘Rangers’ badge on his shirt, so no penalty.”
Imo W Collum will never be allowed to change ÀNYTHING that’s going on within Scottish football or he’ll be oot on his arse the same way Dom Mc Kay was at Celtic,could you do me a favour and tell Shug O,B I was asking for him .HAIL HAIL MON THE HOOPS.
I believe that certain refs support certain Glasgow teams that is were the problems will always be referees are ruining football not being consistent
Same old story really…… if it were different teams playing there would’ve been two penalties given ?????
I don’t get why the ref wasn’t given the chance to look at the handball on the monitor, apart from Dallas being the VAR. I think Willie Collum said in his presentation that refs won’t be asked to go to the monitor so much, maybe giving Dallas the ideal opportunity not to invite Walsh to have a look for himself.
Looking at the Kyogo issue he did not tackle the goalie the goalie tackled him therefore a penalty should have been awarded. Now to the Tynecastle issue looked like a penalty to me so it needs to be explained why it was not given. The people in the VAR room are there to help the referee not make decisions as to whether a a goal or foul needs to be sanctioned. It is there to draw the referees attention to an incident that has taken place . The referee can then go and look at the Video replay and then decide if the his first decision was correct or wrong . Then he can stand by his decision or correct it based on what he has seen in the Video replay. Ultimately he should be the Arbitrator not the person in the VAR room.
Now if the people in the VAR room do not pick up on issues like this they need to explain their decision .