Rangers Review: When Will Willie Collum Address the Celtic v Rangers Penalty Controversy?
By Stewart Wilson – 1 hour ago
Willie Collum, the Scottish Football Association’s Head of Referee Operations, is set to address the public backlash surrounding the officiating in last weekend’s Celtic vs. Rangers Scottish League Cup final. His statement is expected on Thursday, December 19, as part of the SFA’s monthly VAR Review series, which will be broadcast on their official YouTube channel around lunchtime.
The main point of contention from Sunday’s match remains the decision not to award Rangers a penalty during extra time. Vaclav Cerny was fouled by Liam Scales, but referee John Beaton awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. Critics argue that VAR officials Alan Muir and Frank Conor should have intervened—either calling for Beaton to review the incident on a pitch-side monitor or overruling the decision remotely.
If it had been determined that Cerny’s foot was on the penalty box line at the time of the foul, the decision should have been changed to a penalty kick.
Reports from The Scotsman suggest that Collum has already acknowledged an error after discussing the incident with Rangers’ new CEO, Patrick Stewart.
Collum is anticipated to address the controversy and analyze the game in detail during his interview with VAR Review host Gordon Duncan.
The final ended 3-3 after extra time, with Celtic narrowly securing victory in the penalty shootout, winning 5-4.
