Scottish FA head of refereeing, Willie Collum, has admitted that Rangers should have been awarded a penalty during their League Cup final defeat to Celtic.
The controversial moment occurred during the first half of extra time when Celtic defender Liam Scales brought down Rangers forward Vaclav Cerny. Referee John Beaton initially ruled the foul had taken place outside the penalty area, awarding a free-kick. VAR officials Alan Muir and assistant Frank Connor upheld the on-field decision, despite the incident taking place with the score tied at 3-3. Rangers went on to lose the match in a penalty shootout.
Speaking on the SFA’s VAR Review Show, Collum acknowledged the mistake, explaining: *“The holding of Cerny’s shirt begins outside the penalty area but continues onto the line and arguably beyond it. Since the line is part of the penalty area, this should have been considered a penalty kick.
“The referee correctly identified the foul play but awarded a free-kick as he believed it occurred outside the box. VAR should have conducted a check to determine whether the foul was inside or outside the area. Unfortunately, they failed to reach the correct conclusion. This was a clear case for a factual overturn, and there was no need for the referee to visit the monitor.”*
The error sparked frustration from Rangers, with manager Philippe Clement describing the lack of VAR intervention as “really weird.” The club’s CEO, Patrick Stewart, formally requested an explanation from the SFA regarding the decision. Rangers later issued a statement labeling the incident as “damaging for the credibility of Scottish football.”
The missed penalty opportunity has further fueled debates around the consistency and reliability of VAR in Scottish football, especially during critical moments in high-stakes matches like cup finals.
