Willie Collum has strongly condemned VAR officials Alan Muir and Frank Connor for their failure to award Rangers a penalty during their Premier Sports Cup final defeat to Celtic.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) released the full audio from the controversial incident, shedding light on the exchange at Clydesdale House.
The incident in question occurred in the dying moments of regular time, with Celtic defender Liam Scales pulling down Rangers forward Vaclav Cerny near the edge of the penalty area.
Referee John Beaton awarded a free-kick to Rangers, a decision upheld by the VAR team. However, replays suggested the foul began outside the area but continued onto the penalty line, which should have resulted in a penalty kick for Rangers.
The decision sparked outrage from Rangers boss Philippe Clement and led to demands for answers from new Ibrox CEO Patrick Stewart.
The SFA responded, with chief executive Ian Maxwell admitting that “some decisions will be wrong” due to human error. Collum, Head of Referee Operations, offered a detailed assessment of the mistake during the SFA’s VAR Review.
Collum’s Analysis of the Incident
Collum highlighted the key issue: the holding foul and its location. He explained,
“There is a holding incident we need to assess. The holding begins outside the penalty area and continues on the line, and even arguably into the penalty area. As it’s on the line, this should be considered a penalty kick.”
Collum emphasised that Beaton correctly identified the foul but the VAR team failed in their analysis.
“The VAR team need to go into a check and decide whether this incident is inside or outside, and ultimately they have failed to come to the correct conclusion. This should have been a factual overturn — no need for the referee to go to the monitor.”
Where the VAR Team Went Wrong
Collum criticised the VAR officials for rushing their decision, saying,
“From the TV pictures, this is not a difficult decision for the VAR team. They are not forensic enough in their analysis; they move far too quickly. They were likely misled by the majority of the Rangers player’s body being outside the penalty area, which is irrelevant in this case.”
Collum acknowledged the severity of the mistake, describing it as “very difficult to accept” for fans and stakeholders. He added,
“We need to understand why we got it wrong and how to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It’s unacceptable, and the VAR team knows that.”
Accountability and Lessons Learned
When asked about accountability, Collum assured that the SFA is addressing the error internally.
“We’ve been consistent in holding officials accountable. If match officials are not involved in future matches or need to be reassigned, we won’t publicly announce it, just as managers don’t publicly criticise their players.”
However, he also stressed the importance of protecting referees:
“We have a responsibility to support the wider group of officials and those involved in this decision.”
VAR Audio Exchange Revealed
The SFA’s decision to release the audio from the VAR room offers insight into how the error occurred. The conversation reveals the uncertainty among officials:
VAR: “Pull.”
SAR: “Outside, looks just outside.”
AVAR: “Number five.”
VAR: “He’s just outside the penalty area. There’s not much more than that. You can see he’s just outside there. It’s really close. It’s more outside. Agree?”
AVAR: “100%.”
VAR: “Reset that.”
Referee: “Okay guys, are we all good to go in the VAR centre?”
VAR: “Yeah, we’re good to go. No ongoing checks.”
This exchange highlights the lack of clarity and precision in the decision-making process, ultimately leading to the controversial call.
Fallout from the Error
The fallout from this incident has been significant, with Rangers demanding greater transparency and accountability. Philippe Clement was visibly frustrated post-match, as the decision played a crucial role in his team’s penalty shootout defeat to Celtic.
The incident has intensified scrutiny on the implementation of VAR in Scottish football, with fans and pundits alike calling for improvements to avoid similar controversies in the future.
As Collum concluded,
“It’s a bad mistake, but we will work tirelessly to ensure incidents like this don’t happen again.”
