NafisaFormer Rangers legends Ally McCoist and Steven Gerrard couldn’t resist firing a dig at Celtic during the FA Cup Final as the commentary team subtly questioned their penalty decision against Motherwell earlier in the week.
Celtic were handed a spot kick in the closing stages of the match after Motherwell’s Sam Nicholson was deemed to have handled the ball inside the area following a VAR review.
After striker Kelechi Iheanacho slotted home from 12 yards, the decision has since come under intense global media scrutiny. The 3-2 win kept Celtic in the title race, which they ultimately clinched on Saturday afternoon after beating Hearts 3-1 at Parkhead.
McCoist has made his position on the incident very clear, claiming on TalkSPORT that it has ‘damaged’ the reputation of Scottish football.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage of the FA Cup final, where Man City defeated Chelsea 1-0, the Ibrox icon alongside former boss Steven Gerrard made another jab at the decision.
Rangers icons take aim at Celtic pen after similar FA Cup final incident:
During the game, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez struck the ball against the arm of City defender Nico O’Reilly, prompting muted appeals for a penalty.
With the left-back’s arm positioned close to his body, commentator Darren Fletcher said: “I’ll tell you something. If you give a penalty for that, we might as well all go home.”
To which McCoist replied, “wrong country”. Gerrard then added, “he just couldn’t resist could he.” After McCoist offered a sarcastic apology for the subtle dig, the former Rangers and Aston Villa manager responded, “I agree with you by the way.”
McCoist had earlier described the decision as turning Scottish football into a ‘laughing stock’ during his TalkSPORT rant. He said: “It’s a shocking decision that has once again embarrassed Scottish football. I don’t think I’m revealing anything I shouldn’t when I say that unfortunately, that referee has had experiences with Celtic fans as well. Not good ones.”
SFA statement on John Beaton:
Referee John Beaton was the official who made the final call after being sent to the monitor by Andrew Dallas. He has since had his personal details leaked online and has been forced to spend nights under police protection. A 19-year-old male was arrested in connection with the data protection offence.
An SFA statement read: “Such vigilantism, motivated by decisions perceived to be right or wrong on a field of play, is a scourge on our national game and we are grateful to Police Scotland for their swift intervention. As we approach what should be an exciting finale to the season, we ask those who have personalised and hyperbolised their opinions, those who have sought the easy way out by attributing defeats to perceived refereeing errors, and those who have approved incendiary statements and posts to reflect on their contribution to creating an environment of intimidation, fear and alarm.”
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