Celtic defender has come out to confirm that the VAR made huge mistake in awarding a Penalty as REAL INCIDENT of what happened in the box has been EXPOSED to fans

Celtic defender has come out to confirm that the VAR made huge mistake in awarding a Penalty as REAL INCIDENT of what happened in the box has been EXPOSED to fans

Celtic now require only a victory over Hearts in their title decider on Saturday to secure the Scottish Premiership crown after Kelechi Iheanacho converted a deeply contentious 99th-minute penalty to overcome Motherwell.

Hearts recorded a routine 3-0 triumph over Falkirk as first-half efforts from Frankie Kent and Cammy Devlin put the league leaders firmly in control before Blair Spittal added further assurance, ensuring they remained top of the standings heading into a blockbuster finale at Celtic Park.

Meanwhile, Celtic edged a tense and dramatic encounter against Motherwell.

Martin O’Neill’s men had come from behind after Elliot Watt’s early strike for Motherwell, with Daizen Maeda and Benjamin Nygren’s powerful effort swinging the match in their favour just before the hour mark, only for the hosts to draw level in the 85th minute through Liam Gordon.

At that point, the reigning champions were staring at the possibility of needing to defeat Hearts by three clear goals at Celtic Park on the final day to retain their crown.

However, deep into stoppage time, Celtic defender Auston Trusty went to ground holding his head, claiming he had been caught by an accidental elbow. Referee John Beaton was instructed to review the incident at the monitor and ultimately pointed to the spot, not for an elbow, but for a handball.

“It’s a disgrace,” said former Hearts forward Ryan Stevenson.

“VAR took six minutes in the recent West Ham v Arsenal game because everyone understood how big a decision it was.

“John Beaton was at the monitor for what, 20 seconds?”

It lasted just 22 seconds, with the same replay shown twice, then rewound and fast-forwarded between two or three frames on multiple occasions before being frozen at the moment of contact.

There remains no clear explanation for how Beaton concluded that the ball definitively struck Sam Nicholson’s hand rather than his head, which would more logically account for the ball travelling over 30 yards out of his area.

There is also little understanding as to why VAR continues to exist when, in situations like this, the referee is only presented with a single camera angle.

“His hand is up, but look at the power he gets on it – that’s a head” is a frustrated assessment we should not still be hearing from ex-Hearts striker John Robertson in the VAR era.

Offering a differing view amid widespread disbelief over the decision, former Celtic defender Darren O’Dea said: “Looking at the footage we’ve just watched, it’s made huge contact with Sam Nicholson’s head because of the trajectory the ball takes. I don’t know how you can conclusively say that is handball.”

Ultimately, there is no consensus, no clarity, and no definitive answer.