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Celtic ask the Scottish FA to explain why officials overturned their penalty kick against Hearts in the first half… after the introduction of video technology by the SPFL sparked a big fight amid the reigning champions’ 4-3 win
- Celtic beat a 4-3 thriller against Hearts at Tynecastle in the SPFL last month
- The competition match was in the first round of SPFL matches with video technology
- Celtic were furious not to earn a penalty after the ball hit Michael Smith’s arm
- Club chief Michael Nicholson admitted Celtic were looking for answers from the FA
Celtic have asked the Scottish FA to explain the handball controversy that exploded after their 4-3 win over Hearts.
The first weekend of video tech in the SPFL sparked a riot when the champions called for a penalty kick after the ball hit the arm of Tynecastle defender Michael Smith before halftime.
VAR official Steven McLean looked at the flash point and decided to advise match referee Nick Walsh to look at the monitor on the pitch.
League leaders Celtic won a gripping 4-3 thriller against Hearts in Tynecastle two weeks ago
Celtic have asked the Scottish Football Association to explain why the umpires rejected their claim for a penalty kick in the first half
After the decision was criticized by manager Ange Postecoglou and sparked anger among Celtic fans, chief executive Michael Nicholson admitted the club had sought answers from the governing body.
“It’s easy to somehow get caught up in individual decisions,” Nicholson told shareholders during a speech at the club’s AGM on Thursday.
‘It seems that handball is used in different ways in different countries.
“What we have as a club – and all the clubs in Scotland have it – is an interest in having the best possible match officials and match regulation so we can focus on football.
“As we said last year – and nearly got Ian Bankier in trouble – we’ve spent years lobbying the SFA and the SPFL to make sure we get the best match officials possible.”
At the end of the first half, the ball appeared to hit the arm of Hearts defender Michael Smith
Grinning, the Celtic chief joked: ‘The first step was pushing for the VAR – which worked out well.
“The second phase was to raise our concerns about VAR with the SFA.
‘In relation to the specific incident (at Hearts), we did ask questions about how the rules had been applied.
“I think it’s inevitable that there will be some teething problems in the early stages of VAR.
‘But you can be sure that we will continue to raise that problem with the SFA and the SPFL.’
Referee Nick Walsh did not give the spot and was awarded by the VAR . told he was not allowed to judge the incident
Chairman Ian Bankier addressed his last AGM before resigning after 10 years. As Sportsmail first reported, former Chief Executive Peter Lawwell is expected to return to the club as Banker’s replacement.
With Bankier set to retire on January 1, Bankier told shareholders that the Bourse would be the first to know who would take his place, with the club engaging a search agency to find the right candidate.
“Today is November 4, so we’re a little more than halfway between that announcement and my retirement.
“Once the board has made a decision it will do exactly the same, it will announce it on the exchange and in the markets.
“I can tell you that there is a search agency on the company’s books at this point and beyond that I think it’s inappropriate that we go into the ins and outs and details of who we’re talking to and who we might not be up against.” to talk.’
It led to a lot of frustration among supporters and Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou
The Celtic board was also asked to allay a shareholder’s concerns about the IRA songs of some of the supporters who had moved to the south west corner of the stadium.
“We are aware of issues that have occurred in home and away games,” replied Michael Nicholson.
“I think if you look at the context first, it’s not unique to Celtic.
“There are a number of social issues that are being experienced by many clubs around the world.
‘We also believe that a small minority of support is far from the wider Celtic support.
“We have been supporting Celtic for a long time and have all met a lot of people and faces and one thing that unites us all is the support for the club.
“Therefore, the club’s long-standing position has been that politics and abusive language and abusive singing and gestures should be left outside Celtic Park.
Chief executive Michael Nicholson (right) admitted the club had sought answers from the FA
“Obviously some of the behaviors experienced do not represent the views of the people here or the views of the club.
“But I don’t think it adds anything to public opinion to comment on this.”
A feasibility study to examine the cost of building a new main stand to replace the aging structure in Parkhead has found that the final bill would be in excess of £100 million.
Admitting that in the current climate that is not an option, Nicholson explains: “We have limited financial capital and we need to apply that to the field where possible to ensure we continue to perform and build.
‘We would like to look at that in the longer term, but not at the moment.’