Another weekend, another VAR controversy, and this time it was St Mirren on the wrong end of the decision.
During Celtic’s 5-2 victory over St Mirren in Paisley, there was a major penalty shout late in the game when Alistair Johnston slid in and appeared to foul a Buddies player in the box with the score at 3-2. However, the referee waved play on, and VAR did not intervene.
BBC pundit Michael Stewart was left baffled by the decision, admitting he was “laughing” at the inconsistency.
“I am just laughing. It’s crazy. You saw the penalty in the first half, which was a penalty kick. But there was more contact in that and I am lost for words. I don’t understand why VAR hasn’t looked at it,” Stewart said on Sportscene.
Sky Sports presenter Eilidh Barbour revealed that VAR did check the incident but ruled that Johnston had made enough contact on the ball before the challenge.
It’s yet another frustrating moment for clubs and fans questioning the consistency of VAR in Scotland.
The clubs are paying for the technology, yet, many would argue that they’re not getting the benefit of it. It’s time for a VAR re-think.
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson was visibly frustrated post-match, but ultimately, his side were undone by Celtic’s superior squad depth as Brendan Rodgers’ men pulled away in the final stages. But had they been awarded that penalty, and pulled the game back level, it could have been a very different finish.
