During Celtic’s recent League Cup victory over Hibernian, a moment involving James Forrest during the game stirred up a heated debate among fans and commentators alike.
Forrest, with determination, made a strong push into the Hibs’ box, only to be brought down by the challenge of two defenders. The cries for a penalty were loud and fervent from certain sections of the Celtic support, but upon review by VAR, the decision of the referee to not award a penalty was upheld.
Football is a contact sport by nature, and in this particular instance, it seemed more like Forrest was physically overpowered rather than intentionally fouled. The minimal contact made during the challenge did not appear severe enough to warrant a penalty kick, a perspective that was shared by commentator Peter Grant. Grant was in agreement with the referee’s decision and felt that a penalty should not have been awarded. His support for the official’s call seemed to imply that it was the correct decision against Celtic. However, not everyone watching the game shared the same sentiment – Gerry McCullough, for example, was not entirely convinced and believed that Celtic were unjustly denied a spot kick.
Nevertheless, despite the contentious penalty appeal, Celtic went on to secure a convincing 3-1 victory over Hibernian, booking their spot in the Quarter-Finals of the League Cup. Their next challenge will come in the form of a match against Falkirk as they look to continue their impressive cup run.
