Kenny Macintyre has made some incredible claims about VAR decision making including Celtic’s visit to Tynecastle that was refereed by Viaplay Cup Final whistler Nick Walsh.
Soon after Walsh had been called over to the monitor to award Hearts a penalty Michael Smith raised his hand to deflect a pass from James Forrest in full view of the match referee and most players.
It was a clear case of handball, a clear penalty with Walsh pausing play to consult with Steven McLean on VAR. Very quickly play restarted with a throw-in with the die cast on what was to follow with two sets of eyes making a mistake that affected Celtic.
Two weeks later Walsh was on VAR duty at the Celtic v Dundee United match when he spotted the ball hitting the arm of Alexandro Bernabei, referee David Dickinson was alerted, consulted the monitor and awarded a penalty with Steven Fletcher making the score 1-1.
A week later, on November 12, the ball was played from close range at Matt O’Riley, the ball hit his body then onto his arm with David Munro pointing to the penalty spot, VAR Euan Anderson didn’t step in to suggest a check on the monitor with County scoring.
CLICK HERE for Sportsound podcast, Macintyre puts the question to Hugh Dallas after two minutes:
Would you accept that among the correct calls, there have been too many really poor decisions.
A penalty not being given on the opening weekend of VAR at Tynecastle (against Hearts for Celtic) when the ball hit the arm of Michael Smith. I’m told they didn’t look at all the video footage that was available.
The penalty that was given for the Matt O’Reilly handball, I’ve seen the feedback that was sent to the refs that day. They were told wrong decision, should have gone to the screen and no penalty awarded.
Dallas replied:
Yeah I can accept the examples that you have given there, I think the football world probably saw them the same way. The arm was out for a handball which was reviewed. These are the early stages of VAR.
Should Nick Walsh be taken off refereeing the Viaplay Cup Final?
Yes, he has a conflict of interest, he struggles to apply the rules
No, he is a top ref, only human, mistakes happen
There was nothing to debate about the Smith handball at Tynecastle, two well paid senior SFA referees viewed it and decided not to give Celtic a penalty away from home against the third best team in the SPFL.
Walsh could have gone to the monitor, McLean could have told him to go to the monitor, neither took that easy option. Awarding that penalty would have attracted very little criticism, it was more obvious than two others given that day.
Despite these obvious errors, which are down to judgement rather than VAR ‘teething issues’ to quote Michael Nicholson, all of the officials are continuing to get regular fixtures while in England Lee Mason has been sacked from VAR duties because he wouldn’t apply the technology available.
On Sunday Walsh will referee Celtic for the sixth time this season, in the build up to the match he will be working on the fitness of the Murray Park starlets at their partner school Boclair Academy in Bearsden.
Since the Tynecastle match Steven McLean has refereed Celtic away to Aberdeen and at home to St Mirren in the SPFL and in the Scottish Cup.
Munro refereed Partick Thistle’s recent cup tie at Ibrox with a variety of bizarre offside decisions made, Anderson refereed Celtic’s home match against Livingston before Christmas.
At the Celtic AGM in November, after the Tynecastle match Nicholson told Celtic shareholders to expect teething issues with VAR after speaking to the SFA about the Hearts incidents. The teething issue was McLean not looking at all of the available video footage.
CLICK HERE for Walsh’s matches this season.
? Ange Postecoglou couldn’t believe it when Celtic were not awarded a penalty after claims for a handball against Michael Smith. Was that the right call? ?? pic.twitter.com/aY9LoXrnsX
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) October 22, 2022
Ange should have took all our players off the park that day and made sure mclean and the ref were sacked but thats the thing about our celtic board they are all cowards and Tory fuckpigs who are involved in what goes on at hampden especially p.lawwell who said he never seen the 5way agreement get him out of paradise honest he also tossed our 10inarow away to save sevco dirty ratbag p.lawwell.
I agree John.
I’m also convinced that this Sunday we will witness bias and a rigged game off the scale of what has come before.
The ONLY option is for our manager to walk onto the pitch and corral our team and walk off in solidarity.
Fek the cup and welcome global scrutiny of the biggest fix in sporting history.
Lol don’t talk about walking off the pitch and the game being rigged fir the benefit of one klub,the SNOWFLAKES on here will be going TONTO,they prefer things remain as they are and continue to back our club to allow the fans to get RIPPED off.
I could name the DAFTIES on here for it but I won’t waste my time,but they know who they are.
LIEWELL paw prints are all over that 5 Way Agreement,it’s the ace up the sleeve for sevco to play when the Celtic board try to get lippy.
VAR “teething problems”? They try to make it sound like technological issues but VAR hasn’t made a single decision, it’s the (barely) human beings that are operating it that have made these bizarre decisions. These so-called “dedicated officials” seem as if they aren’t quite dedicated enough to learn the correct rules of the game. Or they know the rules inside and out but are being deliberately selective in where they implement them correctly. One of the two, and I know which one I believe…
Only way to sort this at the feet of the Celtic board or be happy at the back of the bus.
How Dallas got a job at UEFA after being sacked here is laughable if it wasn’t so serious.
An out and out anti-Catholic bigot, proven!
Obviously he knew where to go and obviously what he did was alright by them!
He might have departed the scene like a cuckoo but his fertilised egg remains incubating in the SFA nest.
Imagine asking a man who is a cheat and a liar,unbelievable,Smith handball,Goldson handball,
O Riley,Bernabeu,Jota goal v Motherwell,these peepul are cheats,END OF