Fuming Peter Grant insists referee Kevin Clancy should have said NO to a Celtic VAR check after Efe Ambrose's handball for Morton.
Ange Postecoglou's men cruised to Scottish Cup victory over the Championship side with both Kyogo Furuhashi and Aaron Mooy netting doubles, while David Turnbull marked his return to the starting line-up with a goal. However, Celtic controversially took the lead at Parkhead when Cappielow centre-back Ambrose was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box after a lengthy VAR check.
Liel Abada's shot cannoned off the foot of Jack Baird in the penalty box, and hit the hand of Ambrose in the box on his return to Parkhead as he lunged to block the drive from the Celtic winger. Referee Kevin Clancy was sent to the monitor by Craig Napier in the VAR room and the spot kick was awarded, allowing Mooy to open the scoring at Celtic Park.
However, former Parkhead hero Grant reckons the penalty shouldn't have been considered by Clancy after the man in the middle initially allowed play to continue. He unleashed a furious rant on the use of technology in the Scottish game, stating: “I said to yous at the start of the season that the one thing I didn’t want with VAR was for it to take over the game, and it has.
"We are wanting to sit and talk about the players and their performance and all we are doing is sitting and talking about VAR week in and week out. It’s not going away and that’s the big disappointment.
"It’s taking away from the goals and the celebrations, you have to wait to see if it’s a goal. Not one Celtic player claimed for a penalty today. Not one supporter claimed for it, and we still can’t get it right.
“If I am Kevin Clancy on the pitch today, and I have played the game at all, it doesn’t matter what VAR is saying because I am not giving a penalty. These things happen, that’s football and the ball ricochets.
“It’s not a penalty kick. I wouldn’t have needed to go to the monitor, even if they had told me. I would have said no this is my job, I am here to referee the game and that’s exactly what Ive done.”
Host Kenny MacIntyre interjected stating he couldn’t remember a ref sticking with a call after he went to the monitor, before Grant continued: “I don’t even mean go over to VAR. When you see the incident happen you know it’s not a penalty kick.”
Fellow pundit Rory Loy stated the official could have made a “silent check” but Grant remained undeterred: ‘Aye in his head. His silent check is him making the decision. He is still the referee and closest to the action. He must have been in a right bad position if he couldn’t make that decision off his own back.”
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