CELTIC TV aired the Hearts vs Celtic game for supporters outside the UK and Ireland who subscribe to the service.
The game finished 4-3 in the end, but the tie was not without controversy. Celtic looked to have made it 2-0 in the first half, but Nick Walsh blew early for a foul that looked flimsy at best, stopping Celtic from putting some daylight in between them and the home side.
Hearts would win a penalty and bring the match back to 1-1. Just before the break, James Forrest tried to get the ball into the box when Michael Smith blocked the ball with his hand. You can see him move his hand towards the ball and it looked a definite penalty. Nick Walsh refused to blow for it, so Celtic fans and the manager waited for VAR to intervene. Inexplicably, the penalty wasn’t given and the referee continued with the game.
The CELTIC TV commentary summed up the disbelief from everyone. Tom Boyd absolutely astounded by the decision.
CelticTV is incredulous when Celtic are denied a stonewall handball penalty. pic.twitter.com/yWlb5umzvc
— GrandOLTeam (@JBLuvsCeltic) October 23, 2022
Tom speaks about the fears Celtic fans had about VAR. The technology is solid but the people operating the technology are far from it.
We really hope this gets better over time, but we’re not holding our breath
