It’s not often you see rules being rewritten during a season, but after Celtic benefited from an ambiguous decision, it’s exactly what’s happening after Willie Collum confirmed referees will now rethink how they interpret handball calls.
The referees’ chief defended the controversial late penalty that gave Celtic a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, saying it was correct according to the letter of the law. Still, after strong backlash from clubs, players, and pundits, Collum admitted officials have decided to change how they apply that law going forward.
The incident unfolded deep into stoppage time when Lewis Mayo was judged to have handled inside the box after the ball deflected off Robbie Deas. Referee John Beaton initially allowed play to continue, but after a VAR review, he pointed to the spot. Kelechi Iheanacho converted the penalty, sealing a dramatic win for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The Celtic Penalty Breakdown
Collum later broke down the decision in detail on Ref Watch: “It’s a really debatable one,” he said. “You can understand the referee’s view on the field. It’s difficult to judge in such close quarters, especially with the deflection. The big factor for VAR was the position of the arm. The arm was definitely raised and in an unnatural position. It’s an expected ball, but that changes when it deflects off Robbie Deas onto the arm.
“If the shot had gone directly and struck Mayo, it would be one hundred percent a penalty. Even with the deflection, by the letter of the law, the penalty can be justified because of the body shape. The law doesn’t mention deflection or proximity specifically; those are only guidance points. As a player, you take that risk.”
But Collum then revealed that the SFA will now “recalibrate” how referees interpret such situations. “To be honest, almost nobody accepted this as a penalty,” he said. “We’ve had open discussions with stakeholders, clubs, and players, and the consensus is that this kind of incident shouldn’t be punished moving forward.
“We want to adjust the approach so that if the handball happens at close range after a deflection, even if the arm is raised, it won’t automatically result in a penalty. There’s one exception, though—impact and consequence. If it happens on the goal line and prevents the ball from going in, that’s different. We’re now asking referees and VARs to consider how much the action affects the outcome. If this exact same incident happened again, we wouldn’t want to see a penalty awarded.”
In short, Celtic’s late penalty at Rugby Park has become the moment that forced the rulebook to change. However, Collum’s explanation of the rule change leaves things even more subjective and open to utter chaos.
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One Response
This change would never have occurred if it had benefited another club.
We all know what is wrong with this country and its football authorities.
Meanwhile the Celtic Board sit back sucking on their dummy tits and getting their tummies tickled, whilst they count the money.