Celtic maintained their 13-point lead at the top of the SPFL table on Tuesday night with a commanding 5-1 victory over Aberdeen. The Bhoys not only solidified their position but also widened the gap in goal difference over second-placed Rangers.
While most Rangers fans might have been more concerned with their own club’s recent troubles—including a managerial sacking after slipping so far behind Celtic—one caller to Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard seemed to have a different priority altogether.
The caller, a Rangers fan named Scott, wasn’t focused on his team’s woes but was instead fixated on the number of balls placed around the pitch at Celtic Park. In a surreal moment of football punditry, Scott claimed Celtic had placed 18 balls around the field instead of the standard 12 allowed under the SPFL’s multiball system.
The multiball system, mirroring the one used in the English Premier League, aims to keep play flowing by positioning balls on cones around the pitch. Ball boys are responsible for returning any loose balls to these cones, ensuring quick restarts and avoiding the age-old controversy of ball boys withholding balls from opposing teams.
However, Scott’s ball-counting theory, delivered with the conviction of a conspiracy theorist, quickly unravelled. The superscoreboard host seemed stunned, asking if Scott had paused the broadcast on Sky Sports to count the balls. The caller doubled down, suggesting referees should not only officiate the game but also keep a running tally of footballs and oversee ball boy positioning.
Former Hibs star Marvin Bartley, who was also on the show, provided a voice of reason. He pointed out that the multiball system applies equally to both teams and joked that adding ball counting to a referee’s duties might push them over the edge. “Have they got enough on their plate just getting decisions right, mate? If you start getting them to count the balls as well, you don’t know what’s going to happen there,” Bartley quipped.
The suggestion that an extra six balls on the sidelines might hand Celtic an unfair advantage was met with widespread disbelief. Bartley was quick to clarify that both teams benefit equally from the system, and the idea that Celtic were gaining some sort of edge was, quite frankly, laughable.
Scott’s fixation on footballs rather than his own team’s plight felt like a new low in deflection tactics. While Rangers try to steady the ship under new interim staunch management, some of their supporters seem to be clutching at any straw—no matter how absurd—to undermine Celtic’s success.
As Celtic continue their march toward another league title, it appears some Rangers fans are counting everything but the points difference at the top of the table.
Here is the full transcript of the conversation:
[Rangers Fan]
Yeah, so that’s correct. I just looked it up as well, and I’m sure it’s 12 balls strategically placed around the pitch. Last night, Celtic had 18 balls around the park. They weren’t strategically placed as they should be.
[Host]
Were you counting, Scott? Did you have the TV paused counting them?
[Rangers Fan]
Well, now that’s a new law—the referee should be counting how many balls are around the park, the position of the park, the position of the ball boys.
[Marvin Bartley]
Have they got enough on their plate just getting decisions right, mate? If you start getting them to count the balls as well, you don’t know what’s going to happen there, so…
[Rangers Fan]
If Celtic get 50% more balls around the pitch, is that not an unfair advantage?
[Marvin Bartley]
Well, it depends who’s throwing it. If it’s the opposition throwing, then it’s an advantage to them, isn’t it? And a disadvantage to Celtic. It doesn’t make any real difference, does it? If Celtic or their home team decide to have it, then so be it—you just kind of deal with it.
[Rangers Fan]
If it doesn’t make any difference at all, then why are Celtic at 50% extra, then?
[Marvin Bartley]
What do you mean? I’m saying it makes no difference. It’s the same for both teams. So, it’s not like the ball goes out, and they say, “Right, Aberdeen, you can only play with those 12 balls, but we’re playing with these 18.” It’s the same for both teams. The ball goes out of play, and both teams can then go and grab one of the balls around the side, and they can get the game going again. So, if Celtic chooses that as their home team, that’s fine. If Aberdeen are the home team, and they want to play with 12 or whatever they can do, then it makes no difference. Celtic can’t then say, “Portodri, we want to play with 18 balls.” It makes no difference at all.
