Kenny Macintyre makes serious VAR claim against Cup Final ref Nick Walsh and Steven McLean

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

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No, he is a top ref, only human, mistakes happen

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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.