Michael Stewart was seething after a controversial penalty decision went against Celtic’s Alistair Johnston in the derby match against Rangers. It all started when Fabio Silva went to ground in the box after a challenge from Johnston, leading to referee John Beaton initially booking Silva for diving. However, after VAR intervention, the decision was overturned, and a penalty was awarded to Rangers, converted by James Taverner to make it 2-1.
Stewart, speaking on BBC Sportscene, was incensed by the officials’ decision, arguing that Johnston had won the ball cleanly and that Silva had gone down too easily. Despite VAR showing a still image of the challenge, Stewart maintained his stance that it was not a foul and that the penalty should not have been given.
This incident came after Stewart’s previous outburst during a Rangers match against Hibs, where a collision in the box led to a VAR review and a penalty given against Hibs. Once again, Stewart was critical of the decision, arguing that the collision was not worthy of a penalty and expressing frustration with the VAR system.
In both cases, Stewart’s frustration with the officiating boiled over as he vehemently defended the players on the receiving end of the decisions. Ultimately, he believed that the penalties were unjust and that the decisions should have gone in favor of Celtic and Hibs respectively.
