The fallout from Celtic’s dramatic win over Motherwell has not slowed down, but a fresh report from The Telegraph has now given a much clearer picture of how the SFA views the stoppage-time penalty decision.
According to the report, the SFA is expected to fully back referee John Beaton after his late VAR review at Fir Park. That alone cuts through a lot of the noise that has followed Kelechi Iheanacho’s winning penalty on Wednesday night.
The decision has been attacked heavily from elsewhere in Scottish football since full-time. Derek McInnes labelled it “disgusting” after Hearts’ win over Falkirk, while Kris Boyd spent much of Thursday arguing the ball never properly struck Sam Nicholson’s hand.
The Telegraph report reveals the feeling inside Hampden is very different.
The SFA is understood to believe Beaton made the correct call after reviewing the incident on the monitor. That is a major detail because much of the reaction publicly has centred around claims the referee somehow made an obvious mistake under pressure.
Instead, the governing body appears comfortable both with the VAR intervention and the final outcome.
The key point in the report is that Nicholson’s arm position is viewed as punishable after the ball struck it inside the area. Replays from behind the goal which later emerged online also appeared clearer than the initial television angles shown during the match itself.
That matters because confusion during the live broadcast fed a lot of the early reaction.
Even Neil Lennon admitted the television clips looked “inconclusive” at first before clearer images surfaced the following morning.
The Telegraph also pointed out another detail that explains some of the debate. Fir Park only had 12 broadcast cameras operating during the game, far fewer than the Premier League standard. Some of the available angles simply did not provide a clean view immediately.
One of the more interesting parts of the report is the focus on the VAR process itself.
Beaton was not told to award a penalty. He was advised to review the incident and make his own decision after watching it back. That is exactly how the system is designed to work.
The report also notes there may still be disagreement when the independent KMI panel reviews the incident next week. That panel can reach a different conclusion from the SFA’s internal view.
Still, the message coming out of Hampden appears clear enough already.
Despite the pressure building ahead of Saturday’s title decider at Celtic Park, the officials involved in Wednesday night’s drama are not expected to face criticism from within the governing body.
It was a penalty, handball or the elbow to the head, get over it haters. why has nobody asked the player himself that handled it?
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