A table has been published showing how long it has been since each side in the SPFL Premiership was awarded a penalty.
Overall the table is fairly predictable, closely following positions in the table reflecting time spent attacking with one very obvious exception.
League leaders and highest scorers Celtic have not only not been awarded a penalty in 11 matches this season but that run of ‘bad luck’ extends back into the last five, post-split fixtures of last season. 16 in total.
It is an incredible record, it would be fairly easy to award Celtic a penalty late on in a match that they were comfortable in but even in those circumstances no Scottish referee has pointed to the spot for Celtic since April.
Number of Scottish Premiership games each top flight club has played since they last had a penalty.
0 – Hearts
2 – Rangers
3 – Aberdeen
3 – Dundee Utd
3 – Livingston
4 – Hibernian
5 – Motherwell
6 – St Johnstone
8 – St Mirren
12 – Kilmarnock
16 – Celtic
17 – Ross County— Inside The SPFL (@AgentScotland) October 23, 2022
September 3, already leading 1-0 in the Glasgow derby Nick Walsh refuses to award a penalty despite Ryan Kent running into the back of Liel Abada as he prepared to pass the ball. PLAY ON
October 1, leading 2-1 against Motherwell Liel Abada’s cross into the box is diverted by Ricki Lamie’s raised hand but with the defender already booked John Beaton opts to PLAY ON
October 22, within a few minutes of Hearts scoring with a penalty James Forrest passes the ball into the penalty box, Michael Smith raises his hand to block the pass but Nick Walsh and Steven McLean both decide to PLAY ON.
Should Celtic ask for publication of VAR conversations between McLean and Walsh?
Yes, it will help fans understand decision making
Teething troubles, we have to trust SFA officials
Yes!! I’ve been saying this for year’s!! Nobody attacks more than Celtic, especially the majority of the past 22 years and we’ve never topped the penalty list in that time. Yet, the tribute acts fans will use that to defend the argument for all their dodgy penalty’s!
— Richie Bhoy (@Richie_Burke) October 23, 2022
In the last 4 games there has been 2 blatant handballs not given either
— steven (@Beaumontbhoy) October 23, 2022
Save Scottish football.
EXPOSE the CHEATS!
Bankier and Co remain silent
Celtic board are dirty lowlife cowards ive gave up going to paradise naw i might silent paradise especially our board they’re are fucking joke honest.
The problem is that outside of the Celtic support nobody else is reporting these stats. It was great to hear Ange’s “The only penalties we get are in training” quip, but until the Board and others start to bring pressure on the SPFL, SFA (the irony of sfa never fades, even in my seventies) and the referees, nothing will change. VAR is just another opportunity, a better opportunity in fact, for the bigots in black to manifest their prejudices.
Celtic board(s) have let us down for decades on this front… Should have been calling it out a long, long time ago.
The last Scottish match official to be used at either a WC or Euros was in 2016, [Willie Collum!].
For the upcoming Qatar WC, there are 6 female referees chosen – but still no Scottish referees.
That seems pretty conclusive: the perception at both FIFA & UEFA is that the standard of match officiating in Scotland is simply not good enough, [& behind with technology].
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Perhaps over time, VAR will simply highlight the inconsistencies / absurd decision making by our referees – which have affected ALL SPL teams, to a greater or lesser extent.
The upshot being that the fans of most/all SPL clubs could start to vociferously demand that their clubs and the SFA finally sort it out.
Might take a few seasons though?