Collum Labels Non-Award of Rangers Penalty as ‘Unacceptable’

Willie Collum, the Scottish FA’s head of referee operations, stated that VAR officials made a “really, really poor” and “unacceptable” decision by not awarding Rangers a penalty against Celtic during Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final. The Ibrox team, which ultimately lost the final via penalties following a 3-3 draw, received a free-kick in extra time. This occurred after referee John Beaton penalized Liam Scales for pulling Vaclav Cerny just outside the Celtic penalty area. Video evidence indicates that the foul began outside the designated area but extended into the 18-yard box. Collum commented that VAR officials Alan Muir and his assistant Frank Connor conducted their analysis of the event “far too quickly” and were “not forensic enough.” Speaking on the Scottish FA’s VAR Review show, Collum stated, “People will obviously hear me say that it’s wrong, but that’s not enough,” adding, “We need to now understand why did we get it wrong and how do we make things better, how do we improve, what’s the lessons learned from this incident, because people will find it very hard to accept this error. “It’s a really, really poor decision. It’s an unacceptable decision. The VAR team know that, everyone in refereeing knows it.” The Scottish FA also publicly released the conversation between the officials, during which Muir asked Connor: ”The [pulling] is outside [the box]. Do you agree?” According to Collum, the question posed should not have been phrased in such a restrictive way, and the penalty decision was sufficiently clear that an on-field review by referee Beaton was unnecessary. Muir and Connor will not be assigned to officiate matches this upcoming weekend. Collum further stated, “We will do our very, very best through our coaching, through our analysis, to make sure an incident like this never happens again,” acknowledging, “But it’s a mistake, it’s a bad mistake.” He continued, “When you look at the TV pictures, this is not a difficult decision for the VAR team. They are not forensic enough in the analysis. They move far too quickly.” Collum speculated, “I think they’re thrown because the majority of the Rangers player’s body is outside the area but that’s irrelevant because it’s the holding that they should be judging. “They should be making sure they get a clear image to show them that continues into the penalty area.” Elaborating on the Cerny and Scales incident, Collum explained: “There’s been a lot said about the Rangers player having a foot on penalty line. The foot is irrelevant. It’s about the holding only because that’s where the contact is.” He clarified, “The holding begins outside the penalty area and then it continues on the line and even arguably beyond the line and fully into the penalty area. But, regardless, the fact it’s on the line, this should be considered as a penalty kick.” Collum added, “The referee’s awarded the free-kick on the field, he sees the pulling, he’s correctly judged the incident in terms of the foul play. “But then the VAR team need to go into a check and decide whether this incident is inside or outside and ultimately, they failed to come to the correct conclusion, which is this should have been a factual overturn.” He concluded, “There’s no need for the referee to go to the monitor – a factual overturn for a penalty kick to be awarded.” Rangers acknowledged “the Scottish FA’s admission of an officiating failure following the non-award of a penalty”. The club further stated: “For such a failure to occur during one of Scotland’s showcase matches is not only hugely disappointing for the club and its supporters, but also damaging for the credibility of Scottish football more widely.” “We acknowledge the Scottish FA’s determination to use this and other decision-making failures as opportunities to drive improvements in officiating standards.” “As a club, we will continue to engage with the Scottish FA in an attempt to improve officiating standards for the benefit of all clubs in Scotland.” Collum supported the decision to send off Robbie Deas for his tackle on Kenneth Vargas of Hearts during Kilmarnock’s 1-0 Scottish Premiership victory on Sunday. Additionally, he affirmed that the downgrading of a red card for St Mirren’s Alex Gogic after his tackle on Aberdeen’s Shayden Morris was also a correct judgment in the Paisley team’s 2-1 win in November. Moreover, Collum concurred with the choice not to award Rangers a penalty for a suspected handball by St Johnstone’s Jack Sanders at McDiarmid Park in early December, a match the visitors won 1-0. Conversely, Collum stated that an on-field review should have occurred regarding Dundee United goalkeeper Jack Walton’s booking for a foul on St Mirren forward Toyosi Olusanya, with a red card having been recommended in United’s 2-0 win in November. The head of referee operations was of the opinion that Aberdeen defender Jack Milne ought to have been sent off for a challenge on Hearts midfielder Beni Baningime during their 1-1 draw on December 1.