VAR SHOCKER! Hearts Told “You Were ROBBED” in Explosive U-Turn as SFA Drops MASSIVE Celtic & Rangers Bombshell! This one’s going to have Scottish football fans raging!
Scottish FA KMI Panel Delivers Verdicts on Major Controversial Incidents from Recent Matches
The Scottish FA’s Key Match Incident panel has ruled that Hearts should have been awarded a penalty during their recent 1-1 draw against Motherwell.
The controversial moment came when Alexandros Kyziridis went down inside the box after a challenge from Tawanda Maswanhise, leaving Hearts boss Derek McInnes furious over the decision not to award a spot kick.
Replays appeared to show Kyziridis being caught on the foot by the Motherwell attacker, prompting VAR official Greg Aitken to advise referee Steven McLean to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Despite taking a second look, McLean decided against awarding a penalty, sticking with his original call.
However, the KMI panel has now concluded that the final decision was incorrect.
In its official explanation, the panel revealed that the majority believed the referee should have pointed to the spot after reviewing the footage.
The verdict stated: “The majority (2:1) of the panel deemed the on-field decision of no penalty to be incorrect.
Two panel members felt VAR was correct to intervene, while one panel member supported the original decision.
“The majority (2:1) of the panel also believed the final outcome was incorrect, as they felt a penalty should have been awarded after the referee reviewed the incident on the monitor.”
Another penalty appeal involving Motherwell defender Emmanuel Longelo was also examined following claims of handball inside the area.
In that case, the panel unanimously agreed that officials made the correct call by not awarding Hearts a penalty.
Meanwhile, Celtic and Rangers were also given clarity over one of the major talking points from the recent Old Firm clash at Parkhead.
Celtic defender Alistair Johnston avoided a red card after a strong tackle on Mikey Moore, with referee Nick Walsh instead producing a yellow card.
Although some pundits argued VAR should have upgraded the challenge to a dismissal, the KMI panel unanimously supported the decision to caution Johnston rather than send him off.
Even the Canadian international later admitted he may have been fortunate to stay on the pitch.
