It’s unusual to see regulations being altered during a season, but after Celtic profited from a confusing decision, Willie Collum revealed officials will reconsider how they interpret handball rulings.
The referees’ chief defended Celtic’s contentious late penalty, which earned the club a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, saying it was legal. Nonetheless, after receiving severe criticism from clubs, players, and analysts, Collum revealed that officials have chosen to adjust how they implement the regulation moving ahead.
The incident occurred deep into stoppage time, when Lewis Mayo was found to have handled inside the area after the ball bounced off Robbie Deas. Referee John Beaton first let play continue, but after a VAR review, he pointed to the spot. Brendan Rodgers’ side won in dramatic fashion thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s penalty conversion.
The Celtic Penalty Breakdown
Collum later explained the decision in detail on Ref Watch. “It’s a really debatable one,” he remarked. “You comprehend the referee’s perspective on the pitch. It’s difficult to assess in such close quarters, especially given the deflection. The arm’s location was a significant role in VAR. The arm was clearly lifted and in an awkward position. It’s an expected ball, but that changes when it deflects off Robbie Deas and hits the arm.
“If the shot had hit Mayo directly, it would have been an automatic penalty. Even with the deflection, the punishment can still be justified within the letter of the law due to the body shape. The law makes no specific mention of deflection or closeness; these are simply guidance points. As a gamer, you accept the risk.”
Collum later disclosed that the SFA will “recalibrate” how referees view such scenarios. “To be honest, almost nobody accepted this as a penalty,” he told me. “We’ve held open discussions with stakeholders, clubs, and players, and the general view is that such incidents should not be punished in the future.
“We want to change the methodology so that a handball at close range following a deflection, even if the arm is raised, does not inevitably result in a penalty. There is one exception, though: impact and consequence. It is different if it occurs on the goal line and prevents the ball from entering the net. We’re now asking referees and VARs to assess how much their actions influence the outcome. If this exact same situation occurred again, we would not want to see a penalty imposed.”
In summary, Celtic’s late penalty at Rugby Park prompted the rulebook to alter. However, Collum’s explanation of the rule modification makes things much more subjective and prone to complete pandemonium.
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