Gary Lineker Labels Celtic Penalty Call Arguably the Worst VAR Decision He Has Seen

Former England striker Gary Lineker has called the decision to award Celtic a disputed added-time penalty against Motherwell arguably the worst VAR call he has witnessed, describing it as “extraordinary.”

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Referee John Beaton was directed to the pitchside monitor by video assistant referee Andrew Dallas after Motherwell winger Sam Nicholson challenged for a high ball. Replays indicated the ball made contact with Nicholson‘s head rather than his raised hand, yet Beaton pointed to the spot. Kelechi Iheanacho converted in the ninth minute of added time to hand Celtic a 3-2 victory at Fir Park in what proved a pivotal moment in the Scottish Premiership title race.

Had Celtic dropped points on Wednesday evening, league leaders Hearts could have absorbed a two-goal defeat when the sides meet on Saturday and still claimed the championship, their first since 1960. The penalty changes everything for Derek McInnes‘ side, who must now avoid defeat at Celtic Park on the final day of the campaign to become the first club outside of Celtic or Rangers to lift the Scottish top-flight title in 41 years.

Lineker posted on X:

“This might be the worst VAR decision I’ve seen (and there’s a lot of competition). Extraordinary given the significance.”

Hearts head coach McInnes branded the penalty award “disgusting” after watching his side cruise to a 3-0 home win over Falkirk on Wednesday, a result that carried a sting given the news filtering through from Fir Park.

McInnes was also aggrieved at the absence of a penalty during Hearts‘ 1-1 draw at Motherwell the previous Saturday, framing the sequence of decisions as a pattern rather than an isolated incident.

“I shouldn’t be commenting on another game, but having seen that, it feels like us against everybody. When you see the two that we didn’t get at the weekend and then you see that, how can they arrive at that situation? Celtic have had more than a touch of fortune getting that penalty. I’m getting more and more dismayed at some of the decisions that our referees are coming up with. It’s such a bad decision. I thought I was missing something when I was watching it. I had to ask, ‘what am I looking for here?’. It’s actually quite disgusting, to be honest.”

With the title now genuinely in the balance ahead of the final day, follow TipsGG for full coverage, expert tips, and live odds as Hearts head to Celtic Park.