SFA panel split on Celtic penalty award as verdict given on possible Rangers v Aberdeen red card

KMI panel announce latest findings

The decision to award Celtic a penalty kick during their 4-1 win over Ross County has caused a split among the Scottish FA's Key Match Incident panel.

Referee Matthew MacDermid was asked to consult the VAR monitor before giving Celtic a spot-kick for a foul on South Korean winger Yang Hyun-Jun by County defender James Brown in the 90th minute of the William Hill Premiership match in Dingwall. The award resulted in Celtic taking a 3-1 lead with Arne Engels seeing his initial penalty attempt saved by Jordan Amissah before netting the retake after VAR spotted that the goalkeeper had moved off his line.

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Celtic were awarded a penalty after Ross County's James Brown was deemed to have fouled Celtic's Yang Hyun-Jun in the box following a VAR review. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)Celtic were awarded a penalty after Ross County's James Brown was deemed to have fouled Celtic's Yang Hyun-Jun in the box following a VAR review. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)
Celtic were awarded a penalty after Ross County's James Brown was deemed to have fouled Celtic's Yang Hyun-Jun in the box following a VAR review. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group) | SNS Group

The KMI panel deemed that Celtic were correct to receive a penalty by a 4:1 majority, with one panellist believing that no foul had taken place. The VAR intervention created a further spit, with only three of the four panellists who sided with the penalty decision agreeing that the threshold for a VAR intervention - a clear and obvious error - had been met. The report stated: "The panel discussed this decision at length with the majority (4:1) deeming the onfield decision incorrect. One panelist believed that a penalty should not have been awarded and VAR was incorrect to intervene. The majority (3:2) believed VAR was correct to intervene and recommend a review for a possible penalty-kick. Although one panelist believed a penalty should have been awarded they felt it did not meet the threshold for VAR intervention."

The KMI panel also reviewed the decision to award Ross County a penalty of their own for an Alistair Johnston challenge on Kieran Phillips, which was awarded in real-time with VAR Greig Aitken choosing not to recommend a review. "The on-field decision was unanimously supported," read the report.

Elsewhere, the KMI panel also looked at a potential red card for Aberdeen midfielder Leighton Clarkson for a challenge made on Rangers full-back Ridvan Yilmaz at Ibrox on Wednesday night. Referee Kevin Clancy booked the Dons made with Nick Walsh on VAR deciding a VAR review was not required. Former English Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher disagreed, stating that the challenge, which saw Clarkson's boot make contact with Yilmaz above the ankle, merited a red card.

Aberdeen's Leighton Clarkson earned a yellow card for his foul on Rangers' Ridvan Yilmaz. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)Aberdeen's Leighton Clarkson earned a yellow card for his foul on Rangers' Ridvan Yilmaz. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)
Aberdeen's Leighton Clarkson earned a yellow card for his foul on Rangers' Ridvan Yilmaz. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Speaking on Sky Sports, Gallagher said: "I actually think this is a red card. If you watch, what saves him, is he slows up just before he gets there. Whether the referee thinks that's stopped the intensity or the impact, I don't know. I think if you plant your studs that high up on a player you run a massive risk. If you got a red card you couldn't argue."

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However, the KMI panel sided with the Scottish officials and delivered a unanimous verdict that a yellow card was the correct decision.

In total the KMI panel reviewed 15 incidents from the matches which took place between January 12 and 15 and found that no incorrect outcomes had been reached, including the straight red card shown to Motherwell’s Jack Vale in the 3-1 defeat to Hibs, which a 4:1 majority agreed with, and the penalty awarded to Hearts in the goalless draw at Aberdeen, which was unanimously supported.

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