The Evening News/Edinburgh News is claiming that Hibs felt Steven McLean got every major decision wrong in yesterday’s defeat by Celtic.
McLean is no stranger to controversy dating back to his ‘handling’ of Josh Meekings handball against Celtic in the 2015 Scottish Cup semi-final through to the current Scotland manager requesting that he isn’t involved in Kilmarnock matches.
Hibs set out to spoil from the first whistle yesterday with an age taken over every stoppage from bye-kicks, throw ins and free kicks down to numerous injuries highlighted in the second half by treatment for Paul Hamlon less than a yard from the goal-line.
When told to go off for treatment the Hibs defender went to the side of the pitch as the visitors tried to run the clock down.
A total of 15 minutes stoppage time was added with no cards issued to Hibs players for time wasting. During eight minutes of first half added time Hibs boss Lee Johnson was booked with no time added for yet another stoppage.
Just before 8pm last night, three hours after the final whistle, Patrick McPartlin, the Hibs reporter for the Edinburgh News reported:
Club chiefs are understood to have been furious with several aspects of the whistler’s display, most notably the second yellow card shown to forward Élie Youan for what the official deemed a ‘reckless challenge’ on Hoops centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers midway through the first half, and chief executive Ben Kensell became embroiled in a heated exchange with SFA officials at the stadium immediately after the cinch Premiership fixture.
The Evening News understands Hibs feel that the experienced referee got every major decision wrong – including the VAR-assisted award of a penalty for the Capital club, which Josh Campbell scored on 39 minutes to give the ten-man visitors an unlikely lead.
McLean used VAR again early in the second half to award Celtic a penalty in similar circumstances while an additional award for Ange Postecoglou’s side, initially given after David Marshall was adjudged to have felled Celtic substitute Liel Abada in the area, was overturned along with a yellow card for the goalkeeper after the referee had viewed the incident again.
From the media areas at Celtic Park McPartlin wouldn’t have witnessed any exchange, only McLean and Ben Kensell would be aware of the reported exchange.
Hibs director Rod Petrie is the President of the SFA.
