Des Roache, a former top-tier referee, has raised concerns over a controversial moment in the League Cup final between Rangers and Celtic. Roache believes Rangers were unfairly denied a penalty during extra time after Celtic’s Liam Scales fouled Vaclav Cerny inside the penalty area. According to Roache, VAR, led by Alan Muir, missed the foul, and the protocol was not correctly followed. Roache argued that Muir should have advised referee John Beaton to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor, as the foul clearly occurred within the penalty box.
Roache further explained that according to the laws of the game, if a foul is committed outside the penalty area but continues inside, it should still result in a penalty. He pointed out that Scales held onto Cerny while the player’s foot was on the penalty area line, which should have been interpreted as part of the penalty box. Roache was firm in his belief that this situation met the criteria for a penalty kick and questioned why VAR failed to identify the mistake, especially since it was evident when the footage was reviewed.
The former referee expressed his astonishment at VAR’s oversight, stressing that the system is designed to correct clear errors in officiating by providing a slower, more detailed analysis of the footage. Roache emphasized that VAR should have caught the mistake and recommended a review. He was particularly surprised because the technology allowed for a more precise evaluation, and he felt this was a clear example of where it should have been used to overturn the decision.
Despite his criticism of VAR, Roache offered praise for John Beaton’s overall performance during the match. He acknowledged that Beaton had a strong game, and initially, he too did not think it was a penalty when viewing it live. However, after seeing still images of the incident, Roache changed his opinion, realizing that the initial decision was wrong. This shift in perspective led him to believe that Beaton could have benefited from a second look at the situation.
Finally, Roache proposed that VAR should have intervened and recommended that Beaton take a closer look at the incident, given the uncertainty surrounding the decision. While he respected Beaton’s autonomy to review or not review the call, Roache felt that the role of VAR is to ensure accuracy when there is doubt. He stressed that in cases where uncertainty arises, it’s essential for VAR to act and guide the on-field referee to ensure the right decision is made.
