Celtic have written to the SFA to seek clarification over the awarding of the second-half penalty in Sunday’s Glasgow Derby. With Celtic 2-0 up, John Beaton was instructed by VAR to consult the monitor and after reviewing the footage he was shown, decided to give the spot kick, which James Tavernier duly scored from.
The penalty appeared to spark a revival for Rangers, who equalised before Celtic pulled ahead again only to be pegged back by a wonderful strike from Rabbi Matondo. Nevertheless, Celtic are in a good position in their pursuit for their third successive title.
The penalty decision will, however, remain a talking point as Celtic seek clarity over why the penalty was awarded. It is worth comparing and contrasting the decision from Beaton to reward Fabio Silva for going to ground with the penalty shout that was not upheld from Celtic earlier this season.
Fabio Silva dives inside the Celtic penalty area and cons a penalty from Alistair Johnston, referee John Beaton initially booked Silva for simulation but reversed the yellow card and awarded theRangers a penalty kick after a VAR sent an edited clip for review. Photo Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock
20th August 2023; Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland: Scottish Viaplay Cup Football, Kilmarnock versus Celtic; Lewis Mayo of Kilmarnock tackles Sead Haksabanovic of Celtic in the box
Back in August as Celtic exited the League Cup away to Kilmarnock, there was an injury time flashpoint as Sead Haksabanovic appeared to be fouled in the box by Lewis Mayo but neither the referee nor VAR pointed to the spot.
There was an outcry from the Celtic players on the pitch and those behind the goal as they pleaded with Alan Muir to point to the spot. Replays indicated that Mayo caught Haksabanovic’s right foot and the expectation was that Don Robertson would tell Muir about this, prompting a check on the monitor at the side of the pitch. Remarkably, it was not given.
In one scenario it is a penalty while in the other it is not, without getting into the fact that Alistair Johnston gets the ball. Had the penalty call been at the other end, would Celtic have received the penalty or would the Ibrox crowd have successfully got into the ear of the officials?
The title race is in Celtic’s hands and Brendan and the team will be determined to string a run of six wins on the bounce, including the reverse fixture against Rangers after the split takes place. In the remaining six league games, Celtic will have four home games and two away games while Rangers will have five away games and two at Ibrox.
