Celtic should not have been awarded the match-winning penalty away to Motherwell last week that dented Hearts’ title hopes, the Scottish Football Association’s key match incident (KMI) panel has ruled.
The finale to the William Hill Premiership campaign was shrouded in controversy as the Hoops were given a spot-kick deep into stoppage time at Fir Park while drawing 2-2.
VAR Andrew Dallas intervened to alert match referee John Beaton to his belief Motherwell winger Sam Nicholson had touched the ball with his hand while challenging Celtic defender Auston Trusty in the air.
Pictures appeared inconclusive, but referee John Beaton, after viewing the pitchside monitor for no more than 20 seconds, pointed to the spot and Kelechi Iheanacho duly scored to secure a wildly-celebrated 3-2 win for the Hoops.
That result meant Celtic only had to defeat Hearts by any score on the final day to secure the title, while they would have required a three-goal victory to prevail if their match at Motherwell had ended all square.
The backlash to the spot-kick award was ferocious and widespread, with former England striker Gary Lineker saying it “might be the worst VAR decision I’ve seen”. Hearts boss Derek McInnes called it “disgusting”.
Beaton was subsequently put under police protection after his personal details were leaked online last week.
The KMI panel confirmed on Friday the referee was correct with his initial decision not to award a penalty and the VAR intervention outcome was incorrect.
It was the second huge decision to go against Hearts in the closing rounds of fixtures that the KMI panel subsequently deemed to be wrong after Steven McLean controversially stuck by his initial decision not to award the Jambos a spot-kick away to Motherwell, while the match was level at 1-1, despite VAR Greg Aitken indicating that Alexandros Kyziridis had been tripped by Tawanda Maswanhise.
The Jambos finished two points behind Celtic, with these two calls ultimately having had a huge bearing on the title race.
The Scottish Senior Football Referees Association, meanwhile, has condemned the “entirely disproportionate” scrutiny on match officials over the past month.
“The SSFRA stands firmly alongside our colleagues following the wholly unacceptable reaction to recent refereeing decisions,” read a statement released on Friday.
“Irresponsible commentary from some managers, clubs and sections of the media has only served to fuel an already toxic environment.
“No referee should be subjected to this abuse, intimidation, threats or the leaking of private information simply for carrying out their duties. Such conduct has no place in Scottish football or society more generally.
“Referees perform a difficult role in an intensely demanding environment and deserve the same respect and protection afforded to everyone else in the game. Scottish football cannot thrive in an atmosphere where referees are subjected to personal attacks for making decisions in the course of their duties.
“Should this behaviour continue, we will reserve all options open to us.”
