Michael Stewart was left frustrated by the decision to award Rangers a second-half penalty during the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden, describing the call as “extremely harsh.”
VAR reviewed the incident at length, with referee Nick Walsh sticking with his original decision to award the penalty. The ruling sparked debate both inside the stadium and among pundits, with many questioning how Ralston could have avoided the contact given his arm position and the close proximity of the shot.
Stewart, on commentary duty for Premier Sports, accepted that VAR had followed protocol but made it clear he disagreed with the final outcome. The former Scotland midfielder explained that while the technology confirmed the ball hit Ralston’s elbow, that alone should not have constituted a handball under current guidance.
Speaking live during the broadcast, Stewart laid out his reasoning, pointing out the inconsistency between the laws of the game and how the situation was judged.
He said: (Premier Sports), “VAR is saying it hits his elbow below the t-shirt line. We can all see that.
“That doesn’t constitute a penalty. His arm is tucked in tight ot his body.
Stewart’s comments summed up the frustration many Celtic supporters felt in the moment. While VAR is designed to bring clarity, the decision seemed to go against the spirit of the law, with Ralston appearing to do everything possible to avoid handling the ball.
The pundit’s argument was that Ralston’s arm was in a natural position, close to his body, and therefore should never have resulted in a spot-kick. His point about a grounded supporting arm being exempt under similar circumstances only added weight to the inconsistency of the call.
It was a moment that could easily have swung the tie away from Celtic, undoing the hard work O’Neill’s side had put in to gain control. Fortunately for the Hoops, they responded with resilience, taking command again in extra time to secure a deserved win despite the controversy.
Stewart’s analysis will no doubt feed into the ongoing debate about handball interpretations and VAR involvement in Scottish football. In this case, the technology followed procedure, but as Stewart made clear, the outcome still left plenty of room for disagreement.
I may be wrong, but I though Tony The tiger had been tripped by a Sevco player and that’s why he was falling anyway. Happy to be corrected.
Thought the same thing myself
Sevco came into the game a little after they were reduced from 12 down to 11 men. The penalty decision was ridiculous and goes against the rules. However our heroes overcame the situation under the guidance of mastermind Martin.
Comments about this decision will be interesting.
Hail, hail!