The “Worst VAR Decision Ever”? Gary Lineker gets a bit carried away with VAR’s decision to award Celtic a penalty
Gary Lineker believed last night's VAR penalty decision was one of the worst he'd ever seen, I wonder if he sees things a bit differently today?
Eric Knott 
MOTHERWELL, SCOTLAND - MAY 13: Referee John Beaton consults with VAR before awarding Celtic a penalty during a William Hill Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park, on May 13, 2026, in Motherwell, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Amongst all of the chaos last night after Celtic’s late penalty drama, there was a very strange comment from someone who is usually of quite a Celtic persuasion.
Gary Lineker.
In the past, Lineker has bigged up Celtic, unlike most English pundits, who treat the Scottish game and Celtic with derision.
I’ve always admired Lineker for that.
That’s why last night’s post on X from him seemed strangely out of character.
The more you see footage and stills that emerge of the handball which resulted in Celtic’s penalty, the more you begin to realise that Andrew Dallas in the VAR room should be getting praised for spotting it, rather than derided for handing Celtic a huge advantage in this title race.
Now, I never thought I’d see the day as a Celtic fan where I’d be typing those words.
But here we are.
Dallas could have ignored it, just as he did the challenge on Daizen Maeda from Callum Ward.
Being honest, if he had ignored it, I wonder if we’d be any the wiser today if Beaton hadn’t been called to the monitor?
Would we be complaining about the fact Auston Trusty was elbowed in the head, and nothing was done about it?
Who knows?
But for Gary Lineker to say it’s the worst VAR decision he’s ever seen?
That’s a tad extreme if you ask me.
Former Celtic striker, Chris Sutton, wasn’t long putting Lineker in his place, as you can see in the X post below:
It’s what VAR is there for… https://t.co/QpIhEjnPGT
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) May 13, 2026
In all honesty, Sutton hits the nail on the head with his riposte.
It IS what VAR is there for.
And all too often, it has been used for the wrong reasons in Scottish football.
Last night, it wasn’t, and somehow, we have to give that credit.
With Saturday’s huge game looming, a decision had to be made about who was going to officiate for this blockbuster.
It would appear Willie Collum and his masters at the SFA have found that refs from the Lanarkshire Referees Association don’t seem to have the bottle for stopping Celtic any more.
So, he has instead turned to the Celtic refereeing fraternity to officiate for Saturday’s title decider.
Don Robertson, who most Celtic fans believe to be an Ibrox fan, is the man in the middle.
Contrary to popular belief, he is actually purported to be a Celtic fan.
As is Kevin Clancy in the VAR room and Matthew McDermid, who is the fourth official.
Collum has a cunning plan, I reckon.
He knows that Celtic minded referees tend to overcompensate in comparison to Ibrox minded refs.
They certainly aren’t blatant when it comes to their allegiances, anyway.
Therefore, Collum fully believes that there will be less controversy in a huge game like Saturday’s as a result.
There’s only one problem there.
Robertson, Clancy, and McDermid actually aren’t very good at their jobs.
They are genuinely poor referees.
Which could result in Saturday being a hell of a lot more controversial than Willie Collum expects.
One wonders if Gary Lineker will tune in for this game?
Because if he thinks last night’s decision was the worst he’s ever seen, that might just be trumped on Saturday.
Then again, what am I saying?
Last night’s decision was excellent refereeing.
The laws of the game were applied correctly.
Knowing Robertson is in charge on Saturday, there will be no laws applied.
He usually allows opposition players to maim Celtic players and kick seven different colours of shite out of them.
Saturday afternoon could actually be carnage.
Key Takeaways
- Gary Lineker’s recent criticism of a VAR decision regarding Celtic seemed out of character given his past support for the team.
- Many believe Andrew Dallas should receive praise for spotting the handball that led to Celtic’s penalty rather than blame for favouring them.
- Chris Sutton defended the VAR decision, arguing that it fulfilled its intended purpose unlike many other instances in Scottish football.
- Upcoming refereeing choices for a critical match may lead to controversy, as the selected refs are considered to lack competence.
- The article questions whether Lineker will watch the next game, hinting it could showcase even worse officiating.
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Aodhán Ó Conchobhair 
Lineker is no better than the rest
I remember a few years ago, although I don`t remember the exact year, I was listening on my car radio the draw for the next year`s European Draws. As soon as Celtic `s name came out of the hat it was “bye bye Celtic” from Lineker.
As it turned out, Celtic were the last British team to be eliminated the next year. On a Thursday
night, albeit only twenty four hours later than Man U on the Wednesday.
At least we won`t have to listen to his kind any more about “the hand of God”.
Surely Maradona couldn`t have scored a goal with his hand unless he was on the goal line.