Celtic VAR Controversy: The SPFL Rule That Raises Huge Questions Over Shim Mheuka’s Disallowed Goal
The current SPFL VAR protocol contains a specific rule for failed offside technology — and it raises a serious question over why Shim Mheuka’s Celtic goal was overturned.
Phillip Cooney 
The Celtic VAR controversy at St Mirren deserves far more scrutiny than simply asking whether Shim Mheuka “looked” offside.
Celtic’s 18-year-old Chelsea loanee thought he had scored his first senior goal late in Saturday night’s 2-1 victory in Paisley.
The goal was initially allowed. There was no decisive offside flag.
Then Don Robertson and VAR became involved.
There was one major problem: they could not produce the virtual offside lines.
That matters enormously.
Celtic VAR controversy: What the SPFL rule actually says
The current SPFL VAR Protocol could hardly be clearer.
Rule 6.7 specifically covers situations where the technology needed to produce virtual offside lines fails.
VAR is permitted to use judgement. However, it can only intervene where the on-field officials have made a “clear and obvious error”.
The rule then contains the crucial sentence:
“In all other cases, the on-field decision, goal or no goal, will be supported.”
That should be the entire debate.
If Robertson could not obtain calibrated lines establishing Mheuka was offside, exactly what made the original decision clearly and obviously wrong?
“Probably offside” is not the threshold.
“He looks offside from that angle” is not the threshold.
The technology exists precisely because perspective from an angled television camera can be deceptive.
Yet Ryan Lee was summoned to the monitor and asked to decide from footage without the normal calibrated lines.
Mheuka may have been offside. He may not have been. That is precisely the problem.
Celtic VAR controversy: Don Robertson intervention needs explaining
It capped a remarkable evening of VAR involvement.
Ryan Lee awarded St Mirren their penalty for Liam Scales’ handball and VAR supported it.
Then Camilo Durán had an extremely tight equaliser removed after another VAR offside intervention.
Finally came Mheuka’s goal, when the offside-line technology itself failed.
Three enormous incidents. Every outcome went against Celtic.
That does not prove bias, and it would be irresponsible to claim that it does.
However, with Don Robertson sitting on VAR, Celtic supporters are perfectly entitled to demand a detailed explanation of the final intervention.
Scottish football cannot simultaneously tell supporters VAR exists to provide greater accuracy and then remove a goal when the very technology designed to establish the factual position cannot produce its evidence.
The Scottish FA should release the VAR audio and explain one simple thing:
What exactly made Mheuka being offside “clear and obvious”?
Because under the SPFL’s own rule, if it wasn’t clear and obvious, the original decision should have stood.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- SPFL Rule 6.7 specifically covers failed offside-line technology.
- VAR can still intervene, but only for a clear and obvious on-field error.
- Otherwise, the SPFL protocol says the original decision must be supported.
- Don Robertson was VAR and Ryan Lee was the match referee.
- Celtic had two goals ruled out and a penalty decision go against them during a night dominated by VAR.
Good article…Will our Club raise these issues ‘though ?…
Nope!
As they all wear the sponsor badges, maybe should have went to specsavers
It’s beyond belief that this actually took place,, the linesman, referee did not give any indication there was a offside VAR took 3/4 minutes and could not come to a decision the Ref asked to go to the monitor took seconds to come to a decision that Tech could not,as has been said if the situation had been reversed against St Mirren there would be Hell to pay the only conclusion you can come too is it’s Celtic sod no goal. A bias decision at best
With the technology failing to operate Robertson in VAR invited the ref over to the monitor to make up his own mind about the possible offside at the goal ? Now I may be missing something but what did VAR think the referee was going to see that they with multiple cameras in the studio could not ? I think they bottled it at the decision and left it to the referee to make the call ….very quickly as it turned out by then way ? Didn’t the referee look at the same footage as VAR ? And why if there was doubt and the referee had to make the final decision did he not consult with his non flag raising pal on the line ?
Disgusting!