George Overhill

Tue 3 January 2023 11:40, UK

John Beaton didn’t make a “clear and obvious” error in not awarding Celtic a penalty at Rangers so VAR did not step in, says Stuart Dougal.

There were calls for a spot kick to be given when Carl Starfelt took a swing at a loose ball in the Light Blues box on Monday (2 January) that appeared to take a slight touch off Connor Goldson’s hands which were in front of his face.

Beaton didn’t give it, nor did he review the decision on the pitch-side monitor, as the game went on to finish 2-2, and former Gers defender Richard Foster believes the original call was correct, while former referee Dougal explained the reasoning for not checking it again.

Speaking on BBC Sport’s The VARdict on Tuesday (3 January) Foster said: “I’ve had a few messages about this one, mostly from Celtic fans. They’re all wanting a penalty against Connor Goldson in the box.

“For me I think this one is just not a penalty. I don’t think it’s clear that the ball hits his hands. If they do, for me they’re within his body, he’s not making himself any bigger, if anything they’re just protecting his face.

“I think the referee got that one right not to give a penalty. However, a lot of the contention is that John Beaton doesn’t go and look at it again on the screen.”

Dougal said: “Likewise, I’ve had a lot of messages coming through. We’ve got to look at, what do the laws of the game say?

“Did the player make himself unnaturally bigger? Has there actually been a handball? If you’re a Celtic fan I’m sure you’re going to claim, ‘Yeah, I can see a little nick there.’

“If it doesn’t hit his hand, assuming that it does, where is it hitting? It looks as if it’s going to hit his head, so he’s not making his body unnaturally bigger.

“Another key factor is are his hands out [from] his body? No. The distance between the two players is something else VAR and the referee would consider, and is it conclusive that there is a handball where the hands are above the shoulder or beyond?

“When you take them all together, I’ll let other people decide whether they’d give a penalty. The reason VAR didn’t get involved in it is they didn’t see a clear and obvious error.”

End of discussion?

Of course it won’t satisfy Celtic fans, or many neutrals, but that does at least explain the reasoning for there not to be a pitch-side review.

The rules on not giving the penalty in the first place appear to be clear, as the Rangers Review shared on Twitter the law which permits a player to naturally move to protect their face.

Many people will feel that where VAR is available it should be used to reach the correct decision in every instance, but officials are endlessly reticent to second guess each other, so contentious decisions appear to slip through unchallenged.

It seems unlikely that there will ever be a set of rules that will satisfy everybody, and such a judgment call like the Goldson one will always get different opinions.

Had it been given it would have been harsh, but by Dougal’s reasoning it wouldn’t have been overturned, so it shows the grey areas within the game.

The Gers had done enough to win this one, which it would have been a big statement for Michael Beale’s new regime, so missing the chance to close the gap at the top of the table is a major frustration but at least a sign of growth.

In other Rangers news, one Ibrox star was destroyed as “shocking” by a BBC pundit.