VAR officials Alan Muir and Frank O’Connor have been sidelined following their failure to award Rangers a penalty during Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final defeat to Celtic, as reported by the Daily Record on 17 December.
The pair have not been assigned to any Scottish Premiership fixtures this weekend, unlike the rest of the officiating team at Hampden, including on-field referee John Beaton.
The controversy arose after Rangers’ Vaclav Cerny was fouled on the line of the penalty area by Celtic defender Liam Scales during extra time.
Beaton awarded a free kick, but TV replays clearly showed that the incident occurred on the line, warranting a penalty.
Despite the availability of VAR, Muir and O’Connor failed to intervene, leading to widespread criticism and their subsequent omission from officiating duties.
A Missed Opportunity for Rangers
It was another frustrating outing for Rangers at Hampden, although Philippe Clement’s side showed signs of improvement.
Nedim Bajrami gave the Gers an early lead, but they eventually succumbed to Celtic on penalties after the game ended 3-3 in extra time.
The penalty incident could have changed the outcome. Cerny, having won the ball, was pulled back by Scales in what replays confirmed was a foul on the line.
While Beaton’s initial decision to award a free kick was understandable in real-time, VAR’s failure to intervene was less excusable.
SFA’s Response
The decision to drop Muir and O’Connor for the weekend’s fixtures signals the SFA’s acknowledgment of the error.
With VAR already under scrutiny, this latest controversy will add pressure on Scottish football’s governing body to improve the system’s effectiveness moving forward.
