Celtic have been left furious after Willie Collum publicly admitted the Hoops were wrongly denied a penalty in their damaging 2-1 defeat to Hibernian at Parkhead.
The result handed David Gray’s side all three points and opened the door for Hearts to strengthen their position in the title race — but the match is now being overshadowed by a major VAR controversy.
The flashpoint came at a crucial moment. Just minutes after Auston Trusty was sent off following an off-the-ball clash with Jamie McGrath, Celtic were pushing to regain control at 1-1.
From a corner, Liam Scales appeared to be clearly pulled back inside the box — yet despite furious appeals, no penalty was given.
Earlier, Felix Passlack had fired Hibs ahead before Benjamin Nygren leveled the score just before the break. With the game hanging in the balance, Kai Andrews struck the decisive winner to seal a massive victory for the visitors.
But the real talking point emerged after the final whistle.
Collum has now confirmed the officials got it wrong — and that Celtic should have been awarded a penalty, along with an on-field VAR review.
“For us, this should be a penalty kick. This should be an on-field review for a penalty,” Collum admitted.
“There’s too much holding here. There’s too much impact… it’s clear holding. It should be a penalty kick.”
He also raised serious concerns over the VAR team’s handling of the incident, revealing that the explanation given for rejecting the decision fell below expected standards.
“We need proper criteria. ‘Not enough’ is not a good description — officials must clearly explain why a decision is not a penalty.”
The admission has only intensified frustration among Celtic supporters, with the controversial call coming at a pivotal stage of the match — and potentially altering the outcome.
With the Premiership title race on a knife edge, decisions like this could ultimately define who lifts the trophy.