Kilmarnock defender Robbie Deas has hit out at the penalty awarded to Celtic in stoppage time at Rugby Park.
Deas, who was directly involved in the passage of play, could not believe referee John Beaton pointed to the spot after being sent to the monitor by VAR official Matthew MacDermid. The handball call against Lewis Mayo has sparked debate across Scottish football.
While Deas and his teammates felt aggrieved, the laws are clear, when a defender’s arm is outstretched and blocks the path of the ball, the punishment is a penalty. Celtic benefitted, but only because the technology worked as intended.
He said: (SunSport), “It was a big sickener. I’ve seen it back and I don’t understand how it’s been given.
“I’ve blocked the shot away from goal and Mayo’s not even half a yard away from me.
“I’m a bit speechless. I’m raging inside, but these are the things unfortunately in football just now, so I can’t say too much.
“It’s just frustrating, especially for myself as a defender.
“Look, I grew up watching football and there’s a lot of changes from when I was young.
“I know they’re trying to make it better, but it’s difficult.
“Or it’s a penalty call for nothing these days.
Deas’ anger is understandable from a defender’s point of view, but the SFA’s swift response should settle the debate. They confirmed that Mayo’s arm was in an unnatural position and made his body bigger, which is why VAR correctly advised a review.
MacDermid’s intervention gave Beaton the chance to study the incident closely, and once he saw the arm movement, there was really only one outcome. Iheanacho then showed composure to tuck away the winner.
For Celtic, it was proof of why VAR is in place, to catch moments that officials may not have the perfect angle to spot in real time.
And while Killie felt the call went against them, the laws of the game were applied correctly, leaving no doubt that Celtic’s penalty was legitimate and decisive.
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One Response
While there isn’t a club in the whole of Scotland more than Celtic, that has been blatantly and deliberately cheated out of penalties, and had “non-penalties” awarded against us since the introduction of VAR! That’s not a debate! That’s a fact.
But no-one should be kidding themselves here!
It’s very much a double edged sword! Isn’t it?
If this penalty incident had happened at the other end of the park and an award gone to Killie, whether it was a correct call or not, all Hell would have broken loose! There would have been all sorts of corruption calls! But here we are, the iffy call goes our way! The ref? John Beaton! A ref we have been calling “Brother Beaton” “Cheatin’ Beaton” and many other less friendly names for years!
The other problem you have is it brings out the liar in the defender! He claims to have been “less than half a yard” from his team mate. That simply isn’t true!
He shouldn’t have to lie to argue his case! Even when you’re wrong!
The rules unfortunately were not in his favour this time. But I get his anger! We got lucky! Very lucky!