The reverberations of the recent 2-1 Celtic Auld Firm victory over Rangers persist as we step into the New Year. Questions abound among Rangers and their supporters regarding the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the refereeing decisions that unfolded during the match.
VAR Dilemma
The initial spark of controversy ignited when Alistair Johnston handled the ball in the box, impeding Abdallah Sima’s attacking move. This was overlooked by the match referee, a common occurrence in real-time situations. However, the contentious twist came during the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, where a decision was made that no clear or obvious error had occurred, leading to the denial of a penalty.
This decision left players, commentators, and fans bewildered, raising the question of why this incident was not thoroughly scrutinised. In the second half, an offside image was belatedly presented to Sky Sports, suggesting that the penalty should not have been awarded due to Sima’s offside position. The actions taken during the incident contradict this claim, as no free kick was granted to Celtic after the review. Additionally, the lack of awareness among the Sky Sports team regarding any offside discussion during the review adds another layer of complexity to the situation.
Is the VAR Referee Concealing an Error?
The delay in releasing the offside image has triggered more questions than answers. Why did it take so long? Why was a goal kick taken after the supposed offside decision? Why was the Sky Sports team unaware of the offside discussion?
Speculation arises about whether the VAR referee, Willie Collum, realised his mistake and revisited the footage, discovering a potential offside that could exonerate him. To dispel the uncertainty, Rangers have requested the release of the audio between the referee and the VAR team, a practice embraced by other football associations to bring transparency to similar instances. Astonishingly, the SFA has refused to release the audio, further fanning the flames of speculation. At Ibrox Insider, we advocate for VAR use, but transparency is paramount. Referees should not be allowed to cover up mistakes by altering the narrative after the fact.
Overlooked 2nd Yellow Cards
Shifting focus from VAR, but perhaps it should be involved, two incidents during the second half involving Alistair Johnston and Paulo Bernardo raised eyebrows. Both players had already received yellow cards in the first half, and their subsequent challenges appeared worthy of a second yellow, which would have led to their dismissal.
Despite a total of 11 yellow cards issued during the game, there seemed to be a reluctance to hand out a second yellow, irrespective of the severity of the offenses. An argument emerges for VAR to review potential second yellow card incidents that could significantly impact the game. What are your views on this matter?