KMI Panel Award say NO penalty to Celtic.

Scottish refereeing decisions are often difficult to comprehend.  Some have little effect on a game, and all referees and linesmen will make mistakes after all, however, some are serious.  With both Heart of Midlothian and Celtic chasing the league championship, with only a game or two to go all decisions are closely watched.  

So we have an interesting situation here.  The Celtic manager talks to the head of referees, one Willie Collum, criticising the decisions that have gone against his side.  Remember also the sectarian divide on the west coast of Scotland.  Celtic, who make money by emphasising their Roman Catholic beginnings, just happen to have a senior referee who teaches, or possibly taught in the past, religion in a catholic school.  Now, on the Saturday the Heart of Midlothian have two penalty claims while playing Motherwell away.  One is ignored by the VAR team, the second, and more obvious, calls on the referee to check his decision not to give a penalty, though it has been declared obvious by almost the entire football world!  Steve MacLean the ref ignored VAR on this occasion and does not benefit Hearts, but Celtic by his decision.  Had the penalty been given and scored the Heart of Midlothian would have won the league on the next game on Wednesday, Steve stopped this and allowed Celtic hope.

On the Wednesday, while Hearts defeated an excellent Falkirk side Motherwell were again at home, this time to Celtic.  Come the last minute of an awful lot of added time we see the Motherwell player head clear a throw in.  His hand is high, the Celtic forward barging into him, then falling down and playing dead for some reason unknown, means the defenders hand is high alongside his face.  

He does not touch the ball, the trajectory of the ball makes clear his hand could not have made a difference, according to almost every footballer in the world who commented, only the Celtic men disagreed!

The penalty was scored thus ensuring a last game drama at Celtic Park, the game ought to have been played in Edinburgh but the SPFL deliberately amended the rules to suit Celtic, and drama did ensue.

Late in the game Celtic score a goal putting them 2-1 up.  Shortly afterwards, with less than a minute to play it become 3-1.  Before the ball has crossed the line Celtic fans invade the field of play, some attacking the Hearts players, while a few, too few Stewards are attempting to get the players of the field.  After speaking to the police the ref claims the game is over, the Hearts' manager fearful for his players demanded this also.  The antagonism generated by the penalty decisions and the Celtic hordes , not for the first time this season, has made the Scottish game, and Scotland invented the game we see worldwide today, look foolish.

There is a panel of referees, three in number, who debate crisis decisions on the field.  This 'KMI' panel has already made clear the Hearts ought to have had a penalty in Motherwell, and now made clear this last Celtic penalty ought not to have been given.  The referees decision at first was overruled by the VAR ref, and he got in badly wrong, and not for the first time this season.  
In short, the Heart of Midlothian have lost the league title because of inept refereeing, or some say, possible cheating.

Willie Collum, John Beaton and Steve MacLean all claim the penalty decisions were correct, the KMI Panels have disagreed, clearly.  So, we now ask what will happen to these men?  Anything?  Or will it just be brushed under the carpet again?  For me Willie must go, he was a bad referee, one of the worst. Favoured by the men in suits, they had made him a FIFA ref before he ever took a Premiership game, and he has not got what it takes to front the referees' association.  John Beaton, threatened in the past by Celtic fans, and this was a real threat to his family, may retire, the others will carry on, as will this mess. That must not be allowed to happen!