The Scottish Football Association’s Key Match Incident Panel has published its conclusions from the most recent round of Scottish Premiership matches, highlighting some contentious moments involving teams such as Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock, Celtic, Hibernian, and Dundee United, among others.
Rangers vs Hearts: Two Fortunate Decisions for Hearts
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A unanimous decision by the panel concluded that Lawrence Shankland’s goal for Hearts at Ibrox should have been disqualified. He scored after seemingly controlling the ball with his arm, which the panel deemed illegal. They stated that “the on-field decision was incorrect” and criticized VAR for failing to recommend an on-field review (OFR), concluding that the goal should not have counted.
Furthermore, the panel determined, by a majority vote of two to one, that Rangers should have been awarded a second-half equalizer after Derek Cornelius‘ strike was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow. The majority felt “VAR should have intervened, leading to an OFR” to overturn the referee’s decision. They also agreed that the penalty awarded to Hearts for Mohamed Diomande’s foul on Harry Milne was justified, despite Rangers disputing its legitimacy; Shankland netted the second goal from the spot.
Kilmarnock vs Celtic: Controversial Penalty Decision
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The panel determined, by a two-to-one vote, that Celtic was wrongly awarded a late penalty for handball against Kilmarnock. After the on-field referee did not penalize Lewis Mayo for an incidental handball, VAR intervened and overturned that decision, allowing Kelechi Iheanacho to net the winner from the spot in injury time. Two panel members concluded “VAR’s intervention was incorrect, and a penalty shouldn’t have been awarded“, while the third member disagreed.
Hibernian vs Dundee United: The Hosts Benefitted
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A majority of two-to-one ruled that Hibernian’s late penalty against Dundee United was unjustified. While no penalty was initially awarded, a VAR review overturned that decision, resulting in a handball call and subsequently sending off Vicko Sevelj. Hibernian scored from the penalty, resulting in a draw. The majority of the panel believed that “VAR wrongly intervened and recommended an OFR for deliberate handball” and criticized the referee for awarding the penalty after the review.
Dundee United successfully appealed the red card against Sevelj.
Motherwell vs Dundee: Dhanda’s Red Card Affirmed
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The panel unanimously confirmed the decision to issue a red card to Yan Dhanda of Dundee in the match against Motherwell. The midfield player was dismissed after a tackle on Lukas Fadinger. Dundee’s appeal against the red card was unsuccessful, with the panel affirming that the red card was indeed warranted.