NafisaNick Walsh Under Fire After Rangers Win as Former FIFA Referee Questions Celtic Penalty Decision
Nick Walsh once again found himself at the centre of attention during an Old Firm clash, although this time it was a decision that went Rangers’ way that has raised eyebrows.
Derek McInnes enjoyed arguably his biggest afternoon since taking charge of the Light Blues as Rangers produced a commanding 3-0 victory over Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday.
Dan Neil struck twice before Kevin Kelsy added another to complete a memorable afternoon for the home side, with Rangers producing the kind of performance that will have supporters dreaming about what could be ahead under their new manager.
The scoreline could even have been more emphatic.
Rangers dominated large periods of the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final and looked capable of adding to their tally, while Emmanuel Fernandez also saw an effort ruled out for offside.
There was, however, one particularly contentious moment that Celtic will feel deserved much greater attention.
Kelsy’s goal survived a VAR check after the officials examined the margins surrounding the finish, but another incident inside the Rangers penalty area did not appear to receive the same level of scrutiny.
And according to former FIFA referee Keith Hackett, that is precisely where Walsh and VAR may have got it wrong.
Olwethu Makhanya fortunate to avoid sanction vs Celtic
By the time Kelsy had doubled Rangers’ advantage, the outcome of the match already appeared to be slipping away from Celtic.
But before that moment, Celtic had a potentially significant opportunity to change the direction of the contest.
The incident involved Olwethu Makhanya and Kasper Høgh inside the Rangers penalty area.
Makhanya appeared to climb onto Høgh’s back before swinging the Celtic forward to the ground, with the incident occurring during a passage of play that could easily have resulted in a penalty had the officials judged the contact to be sufficient.
Walsh did not award a spot-kick.
More surprisingly from Celtic’s perspective, there appeared to be no indication that VAR had intervened to ask the referee to take another look.
Even Premier Sports did not make the incident a major talking point during the live broadcast, meaning it risked becoming little more than a footnote in a game dominated by Rangers’ performance.
But Hackett saw things very differently.
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, the former FIFA referee questioned why the VAR officials had seemingly not become involved.
“With the referee not awarding a penalty kick then looking at this clip I am surprised that there was no VAR intervention,” he said.
“Celtic have every right to be disappointed that a penalty kick was not awarded.”
That is a significant assessment from someone with extensive experience at the highest level of refereeing.
The controversy becomes even more intriguing because Walsh had already been involved in several major decisions during the match, including the VAR review surrounding Kelsy’s goal.
While the officials ultimately decided that Rangers’ third goal could stand, the apparent lack of intervention over the Makhanya-Høgh incident leaves Celtic supporters entitled to question why the two situations received such different treatment.
Of course, there is an important caveat.
Even if Celtic had been awarded the penalty, there is no guarantee they would have converted it or gone on to win the match.
But at 1-0, a spot-kick could potentially have changed the entire complexion of the derby.
Instead, Rangers maintained their advantage and went on to take complete control.
Rangers’ dominance vs Celtic in numbers
For all the controversy surrounding Walsh’s decision, there was little doubt about which team performed better at Ibrox.
Even Martin O’Neill accepted that Celtic had been comprehensively outplayed.
And the statistics underline just how difficult an afternoon it was for the Hoops.
Rangers registered 15 shots compared to Celtic’s seven, more than doubling their opponents’ total.
More tellingly, eight of those Rangers attempts were on target, while Celtic managed just one.
That is an extraordinary difference in attacking threat for an Old Firm match.
Rangers also enjoyed 53 per cent possession, demonstrating that their superiority was not simply a case of sitting back and exploiting Celtic on the counter.
They controlled the ball, created more opportunities and, crucially, made their dominance count when the chances arrived.
Neil’s two goals gave Rangers the platform they needed before Kelsy added his first goal for the club, putting the result beyond serious doubt.
So while Celtic can quite rightly point towards the Makhanya incident and question why VAR did not intervene, the bigger picture remains difficult to ignore.
Rangers were sharper, more dangerous and considerably more clinical.
The controversial decision may have denied Celtic an opportunity to change the game, but it cannot erase the gulf that ultimately appeared between the two sides.
For McInnes, that will be the most encouraging part of the afternoon.
Rangers did not merely edge Celtic.
They produced a performance that suggested they were capable of winning the derby without needing a helping hand from the officials.
And perhaps that is why the Walsh controversy will sting Celtic even more: there may have been a penalty decision that went against them, but Rangers had already produced enough football to make their 3-0 victory extremely difficult to dispute.
Nafisa
