Celtic's claim for a penalty against Rangers following claims of a handball by Connor Goldson has been unanimously backed by the BBC Sportscene pundits.
The Scottish Premiership leaders were in dire need of a leveller at the time of the flashpoint with Daizen Maeda's opener being overturned by Ryan Kent and James Tavernier efforts, before Kyogo Furuhashi rescued a draw late in the game. Celtic could have had the opportunity to fire the ball beyond Allan McGregor had Goldson been penalised for a handball.
The ball appeared to strike the arm of the Rangers star following a drive towards goal from Carl Starfelt, but referee John Beaton failed to point to the penalty spot. Willie Collum checked the incident in the VAR room using multiple angles but the main in the middle was not sent to the monitor at the side of the pitch to review the incident despite the IFAB rules suggesting he should have been offered a second look.
IFAB rules state that "not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence. It is an offence if a player", stating that a player will be penalised for "deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball, touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger and scores in the opponents’ goal directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, or Immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental."
Former Celtic midfielder Shaun Maloney admitted he felt it would have been harsh on Goldson, but reckons a penalty was the right call. He stated: "I don't like the rule, but I think just the way that he blocks the shot with his arms like that, with the rule the way it is I think that it is probably a penalty.
"I don't like the rule. But when you block a shot and your hands are higher like that for me it was a penalty."
Rangers hero Neil McCann also struggled to come up with a defence for the officials: "I think on the way the rules are going now I think it's a penalty. I don't think it's intentional, he is trying to get his hands up (away from the ball), but the way it is going now I was surprised it wasn't given."
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