Why Weren’t Celtic Awarded A Penalty Against Kilmarnock?

Despite a positive 4-0 win against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park, one interesting moment was referee Don Robertson’s decision not to award a penalty late in the second half.

After a well-worked free kick from Matt O’Riley over the Kilmarnock wall found Kyogo Furuhashi in the box, he managed to take a composed first touch.

However, after Kilmarnock goalkeeper Robby McCrorie clattered into Kyogo, Robertson waved play on in a perplexing moment in the Game.

🗣️ “I’m absolutely speechless!”

Should Celtic have had a penalty here? The VAR did not feel an intervention was needed ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Rjj3xwpL5v

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 4, 2024

Put simply, if McCrorie does not impede Kyogo, he scores.

This will undoubtedly lead to speculation over the use of VAR in Scottish Football, which has at times been inconsistent over the last two seasons.

Robertson’s decision not to award the penalty is questionable enough, but for VAR to review the decision and also decide to play on is baffling.

The decision was further clarified during the Game by Ian Crocker, who revealed that Kyogo was not, in fact, offside in the buildup.

The penalty was instead not awarded because the contact was allegedly deemed insufficient to warrant a penalty. The first decision of what we expect to be another inconsistent season from our officials.