Celtic F.C

Bemoaning the Rangers penalty denial in the Hearts tie, Philippe Clement challenges the officials for the Celtic match.

Published

10 months ago

May 18, 2024

The Belgian couldn’t believe that a tug on Cyriel Dessers was not picked up.

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Philippe Clement thought Rangers should have got a penalty at Tynecastle and couldn’t believe it wasn’t called by VAR.

Frankie Kent gave Cyriel Dessers a firm nudge as the Nigerian striker attempted to convert a James Tavernier cross with the score still tied. Referee Don Robertson failed to notice anything in real time, and the VAR team evidently did not believe the contact was sufficient for a foul, since no action was taken.

Philippe Clement bemoans Rangers penalty denial in Hearts draw and lays down challenge to officials for Celtic clash - Football Scotland

Clement says he has yet to witness the episode again, but his initial impression was that there was a “clear pull.” And he was perplexed as to why the referee missed it, as well as why the VAR failed to detect it. The Belgian has also challenged the officials in next weekend’s Scottish Cup final against Celtic to do everything correct.

He stated: “From where I was standing there was a clear pull on Cyriel’s shirt. So that’s disappointing that everybody has the same idea and we saw it from 50 metres away but it wasn’t seen on the replays.

“But I still stay a fan of the VAR. But if that’s the case then clearly the decision making should be better. That’s a detail in this game, I expect that on Saturday the decision making will be very, very correct.”