Collum confirms Celtic penalty correct, Hearts denied spot-kick
Scottish FA chief Willie Collum has admitted Hearts were wrongly denied a penalty against Motherwell while backing a Celtic award. The bombshell admission follows a VAR review that sparked fresh debate over refereeing consistency.
Willie Collum, head of refereeing at the Scottish Football Association, has publicly conceded that Hearts were denied a legitimate penalty during their 1-1 draw at Motherwell on May 9—a decision that could have altered the outcome of the Scottish Premiership title race.
In his monthly VAR update on Monday, Collum confirmed that video evidence supported a penalty call for Hearts after Maswanhise appeared to trip Kyziridis in the box. Yet referee McLean, after reviewing the incident at the pitchside monitor, opted not to penalize, citing insufficient visual evidence. The moment has reignited scrutiny over VAR’s role in shaping league outcomes just days after Celtic clinched the Premiership title.
Key Points
- ✅ Collum admits Hearts were wrongly denied a penalty in 1-1 draw at Motherwell
- ⚡ VAR confirmed foul on Kyziridis but referee declined to award spot-kick
- 💡 Decision comes amid debate over consistency in handball and penalty decisions
Collum also fully endorsed the late penalty awarded to Celtic in their 3-2 win over Motherwell on May 13, describing the handball by Sam Nicholson as “clear and punishable.” The award, converted by Kelechi Iheanacho, sealed Celtic’s victory and contributed to their Premiership triumph by two points over Hearts. “Nicholson’s arm was in an unnatural position,” Collum stated. “The contact was a punishable handball under our guidelines.”
| Incident | Official Decision | Collum's Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Celtic penalty vs Motherwell (May 13) | Penalty awarded | Correct; clear handball above shoulder height |
| Hearts penalty claim vs Motherwell (May 9) | Penalty not awarded | Incorrect; foul confirmed on VAR review |
Audio from the VAR room, released by the SFA, revealed referee McLean telling his team: “I’ve not seen enough.” Collum responded: “Once the referee attends the monitor, the preferred decision should be to award the penalty.” He acknowledged the decision would be discussed with referees ahead of the new season, signaling potential rule interpretation adjustments.
💡 Pro Tip
Referees reviewing incidents on VAR monitors should prioritize objective visual cues—such as contact location and unnatural body positioning—over subjective interpretation of intent, to ensure consistency in high-stakes decisions.
The controversy deepens after Collum also addressed two key decisions from Celtic’s 3-1 win over Rangers on May 10. He backed referee Nick Walsh’s refusal to penalize Alistair Johnston for a challenge on Rangers’ Mikey Moore, calling it “glancing contact” that did not meet the threshold for a red card. “It’s reckless, but not brutal or endangering,” Collum said. He also upheld the award of Celtic’s second goal, scored by Yang Hyun-jun, after determining Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland had a clear line of sight and the offside attacker did not interfere with play.
📋 By The Numbers
- 2 points — Celtic’s margin over Hearts in the final Premiership standings
- 13 May — Date of the controversial Celtic penalty against Motherwell
- 9 May — Date Hearts’ penalty claim was denied at Fir Park
In a separate case from Celtic’s 2-1 victory at Hibernian on May 3, Collum criticized the omission of a penalty for Josh Campbell’s two-handed push on Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren. “This is not normal football contact,” he said. “It’s excessive and should have been penalized.” However, he confirmed that Hibernian’s equalizing goal stood as correct after a thorough review found no conclusive evidence of handball by scorer Joe Newell.
Collum’s remarks come as the SPFL faces renewed scrutiny over officiating standards, with fans and pundits questioning the variability in penalty decisions across the league. While he defended the majority of calls, the admission that Hearts were wronged in May underscores the fragile margins that can define championship outcomes—and the enduring challenge of achieving absolute fairness in the modern game.