Liam Scales has defended the decision not to award Rangers a penalty during Celtic’s dramatic Premier Sports Cup final victory, insisting referee John Beaton made the correct call.
The contentious moment occurred in extra-time when Scales, who replaced Auston Trusty for the second half of normal time, brought down Vaclav Cerny on the edge of the box.
The Ireland defender was booked for holding Cerny’s shirt, but VAR did not review the incident, leaving Rangers manager Philippe Clement frustrated.
Speaking after the match, Clement expressed his disappointment:
“I don’t know if you saw the images, but my phone is overloaded with the penalty situation with Cerny, so I get hundreds of messages now about that. So that’s also a really decisive moment for me.”
Clement added that he had raised the issue with the officials:
“Yes, of course. He cannot see that moment, but he didn’t get the communication from the VAR to come and watch the screen. That’s for me a really weird situation, that at least there’s no look about that kind of situation in this kind of game.”
Scales, however, maintained his innocence. Reflecting on the incident, he said:
“I thought it was outside the box. I haven’t watched it back, so I can’t really tell you. At the time, I thought it was outside, and there were no complaints at the time. We just got on with the game. I’m sure they looked at it upstairs.”
Despite Scales’ perspective, former Scottish referee Bobby Madden strongly disagreed.
“This is 100 per cent a penalty kick,” Madden argued.
“It doesn’t matter when the holding started, when it ended or what direction the players are moving. This is clear evidence of holding within the penalty area, and I’m amazed this hadn’t been identified by VAR.”
Celtic ultimately prevailed, winning 5-4 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw. The victory secured their 119th major trophy, surpassing Rangers’ total of 118 and solidifying their dominance in Scottish football.
