Ross County Coach Claims Match Should Be 2-2 Without VAR Favoring Celtic in Liam Scales Handball Controversy

Ross County Coach Claims Match Should Be 2-2 Without VAR Favoring Celtic in Liam Scales Handball Controversy

Ross County head coach has expressed his frustration after his side’s 2-1 loss to Celtic, claiming that the final scoreline should have been 2-2 if VAR had not favored Celtic in a critical handball decision involving Liam Scales. The coach believes the controversial moment, which saw a potential handball in Celtic’s penalty box, denied his team the chance to earn a deserved point.

The decisive moment came in the second half when Ross County, trailing 2-1, sent a cross into Celtic’s box that appeared to strike the arm of defender Liam Scales. Ross County immediately appealed for a penalty, hoping to capitalize on the opportunity to equalize. However, the referee, after consulting VAR, chose not to award the penalty, ruling that Scales’ handball was either unintentional or did not warrant a penalty under current rules.

Following the game, the Ross County coach voiced his dissatisfaction with the decision, arguing that without the use of VAR, the penalty likely would have been given. “We’re talking about a clear handball. His arm was away from his body, and everyone in the stadium could see it. Without VAR, the referee probably blows for a penalty, and that gives us a chance to make it 2-2,” he said in his post-match interview.

 

The coach emphasized that his side’s performance deserved more and that the failure to award the penalty unfairly tipped the balance in Celtic’s favor. “The lads worked incredibly hard, and we had Celtic on the back foot for large parts of the game. That penalty call would have been the turning point. It’s frustrating because we deserved something from the match, and that decision took it away from us.”

The use of VAR in Scottish football has been the subject of much debate, and this incident has only intensified criticism of the technology. The Ross County coach questioned whether VAR is helping or hindering the fairness of the game, suggesting that it sometimes protects bigger clubs like Celtic from decisions that might go against them.

 

“VAR is supposed to make the game fairer, but sometimes it feels like it’s used to protect certain teams. If that’s anywhere else on the pitch, or if we’re playing another team, that’s probably given. Today, it feels like VAR favored Celtic, and we were on the wrong end of that,” the coach remarked.

 

He also hinted that the referee might have made a different decision if he hadn’t relied on VAR. “Before VAR, refs had to make the call in real time, and often they’d err on the side of giving the penalty. Now, they can hide behind the technology. It’s disappointing when you see such an obvious handball go unpunished.”

 

Despite the defeat, Ross County can take heart from a spirited performance against the Scottish champions. After falling 2-0 behind, the visitors pulled a goal back and piled pressure on Celtic in the closing stages of the match. The missed handball penalty decision came at a critical moment when Ross County were gaining momentum and looked poised to push Celtic to the limit.

 

“We showed a lot of fight today, and that’s why it hurts so much. I’m proud of the boys for the way they played. We came here to get something, and we deserved more than a narrow loss. If that penalty is given, it’s 2-2, and who knows how the game ends,” the coach added.

 

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, while acknowledging the tightness of the match, defended the referee’s decision, stating that Scales’ handball was not deliberate and didn’t meet the criteria for a penalty. “Liam’s arm was not in an unnatural position, and I don’t think it was intentional. These are difficult decisions, and the referee made the call after looking at it closely with VAR,” Rodgers commented.

 

Rodgers also credited his team for holding on under pressure in the final stages of the game. “It was a tough game, but we showed resilience. We’ve seen VAR decisions go both ways, and today, we came out on the right side of it.”

For Ross County, the focus will shift to future matches, but the frustration over the Scales handball incident is likely to linger. The coach remains adamant that his team should have left Celtic Park with a point, and the controversy over VAR’s role in the decision will no doubt fuel ongoing debates about its use in Scottish football.

 

Celtic, meanwhile, will be relieved to have secured the victory, but the shadow of the handball controversy hangs over the result, raising questions about VAR’s impact on key moments in the game.

 

As Ross County prepares for their next fixture, the coach’s comments will likely continue to resonate, with fans and pundits alike debating whether the match truly should have ended 2-2.

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