The Scottish FA’s Key Match Incident (KMI) Review Panel has weighed in on two pivotal VAR decisions in Celtic’s 5-0 demolition of St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday.

The first significant moment came in the 53rd minute, when St Johnstone thought they had scored through a brilliant strike from Makenzie Kirk. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for a foul on Celtic’s Adam Idah in the build-up. Initially, the goal seemed legitimate, but VAR correctly spotted a push that interfered in the buildup. 

The KMI panel, after reviewing the incident, strongly supported the decision, with four out of five members agreeing that VAR’s intervention was right to disallow the goal. The review panel backed the decision as correct, ensuring that the goal was ruled out fairly.

The second key moment came when Celtic were awarded a penalty after James Forrest was brought down in the box while charging forward at full speed. Forrest had managed to slip past a couple of defenders, but as he continued his run, Daniels Balodis moved across him, causing him to go down. Initially, the referee pointed to the spot, but VAR intervened to review the decision.

After reviewing the footage, it was determined by the panel that the challenge wasn’t a foul, and the penalty was overturned. While the KMI panel unanimously agreed that the original decision was incorrect, there is an argument that the decision was harsh. Forrest was clearly running at full pace, and Daniels Balodis’ movement across him led to contact that some might feel should have been considered a foul. Despite the review panel’s backing, there are those who believe the decision did not fully reflect the nature of the challenge, with Forrest running at full speed and his momentum suddenly halted.

The disallowed goal for St Johnstone and the overturned penalty decision for Celtic were both influenced by VAR, with one decision going against the Hoops and one in their favour.

While St Johnstone may feel hard done by after having a goal ruled out, it was a clear push on Adam Idah with two hands. The fact that the VAR decisions were supported by the review panel shows that the correct calls were made based on the rules and protocols.

For Celtic, the overturning of the penalty, however, can be seen as contentious. If you ask a winger to dribble round an entire defence, charging towards goal, and a defender moves across them, there is going to be some contact. It’s difficult to argue that the challenge didn’t disrupt Forrest, and many may feel that the decision didn’t fully reflect the nature of the situation.