Celtic midfielder Arne Engels has slammed the media narrative following Celtic’s dramatic Premier Sports Cup final victory last weekend.
The Hoops took home their first piece of silverware of the season after playing out an enthralling six-goal thriller with Rangers, which went all the way to spot-kicks.
Much of the focus after last Sunday has been on the Gers’ vast appeals for a penalty at the beginning of the first period of extra time.
Liam Scales pulled the shirt of Vaclav Cerny, who looked to be marginally in the box.
The SFA’s Head of Referees, Willie Collum, has since admitted a spot-kick should have been given and described the dismissal of such an incident by the VAR team as ‘unacceptable’.
While it was a colossal decision in one of the biggest games of the season, the spotlight on it over the past seven days has become tiring.
Indeed, Engels thinks the post-cup final focus should have been on his history-making teammate, James Forrest: “I’m not aware of everything that’s been said,” he admitted (Glasgow Times).
“But last Sunday we showed that we’re a really good team who can perform in the big games. We deserved to win it, and that’s why we were on the podium. That’s all that matters.
“Is it a shame that people are talking about other things? James Forrest equalled a record by winning the trophy, he has so many medals now and is a quality player.
“If there needs to be something said after Sunday, it should be about him.”
The veteran winger became the joint most decorated player in Celtic’s history with last weekend’s win, equalling Bobby Lennox’s record medal haul of 25. Forrest will unfortunately be out injured for the next six weeks, but he deserves utmost credit for the immense loyalty he has shown to the club over the years.
