The SFA can't keep defending horrific refereeing after Celtic vs Hibs controversy

Despite Celtic's victory over Hibernian, shocking refereeing decisions again marred the game. There is evidence to prove that the goal should not have stood, if the referees are still following the laws of the game, and yet, the hosts took a draw into half-time.

As Viljami Sinisalo came out to punch the ball away, he couldn't get it far as it fell to Joe Newell. He blatantly controls it with his arm, accident or not, before chopping a shot into the back of the net. Liam Scales tries to get back to clear it, but he can't get there in time.

It brought Hibs back into the game, and things could have gone very differently. We all know how much confidence a goal can give a trailing side, so for a wrongful strike to stand is terrible.

According to the laws of the game, a deliberate handball is an offence. Even if it wasn't intended, they specifically state that an accidental handball is still a free kick for the opposition if the ball goes into the goal after touching an attacking player's hand or arm. Below that point, they state that if the player gains control of the ball after it touches their arm or creates a goal-scoring opportunity from it, that is also an offence.

Looking at the incident, it is clear that it falls under both of these rules. There was no reason for the goal to stand, yet it did. We'd rather it be dealt with properly on the pitch than having to hear an apology on The VAR Review, but that's what we have to deal with nowadays.

Refereeing standards in Scotland need to be questioned

The standard of refereeing in Scotland needs to be questioned, but if anyone dares to say a word, they suffer consequences. Most recently, the SFA banned pundit Michael Stewart from the Scottish Cup semi-final ties at Hampden, going as far as to say he wasn't even welcome in the car park of the national stadium. Rather than taking criticism, the people at the top would rather ignore the real problems than make much-needed change.

It makes fans wonder what the real point of VAR even is. We see so many wrong decisions that it seems like it's not even worth having the technology. If it isn't going to be used right, then there is no point in having it.

The argument from pundits covering the game was 'if they can't be sure, go with the on-field decision', which was to let the goal stand. If we had better referees, they could be sure, because for anyone looking at that footage, it is blatant that it hit the arm.

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