adminCeltic have reportedly responded to the controversial refereeing decisions that dominated the aftermath of their dramatic Old Firm defeat to Rangers at Ibrox.
The Hoops suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against their bitter rivals, with Dan Neil scoring twice before Kevin Kelsy added another goal to complete a memorable victory for Rangers.
However, despite the emphatic scoreline, the conversation immediately after the final whistle was not focused entirely on Rangers’ performance.
Instead, several refereeing decisions quickly became a major talking point among Celtic supporters, with fans questioning a number of calls made during the match.
Referee Nick Walsh was at the centre of the controversy, while Frank Connor and Daniel McFarlane acted as assistant referees. Andrew Dallas and Steven McLean were part of the VAR team.
Celtic supporters were particularly frustrated by several incidents involving fouls, challenges, disciplinary decisions and moments around the penalty area.
The intensity of the Old Firm rivalry meant that virtually every contentious decision attracted a strong reaction from the Celtic bench and supporters inside the stadium.
Following the final whistle, the debate intensified across social media, with sections of the Celtic support demanding answers over whether some of the key decisions had been correctly handled.
The reported response from Celtic came just minutes after the match, adding further fuel to an already heated situation.
For supporters who felt their team had been on the wrong end of several decisions, the alleged reaction was seen as an indication that Celtic were not willing to simply forget about the officiating controversy.
However, Rangers’ victory was also backed up by a dominant statistical performance.
The home side reportedly registered 15 shots compared with Celtic’s seven and managed eight efforts on target, while Celtic recorded just one shot on target.
That dominance means Rangers cannot be accused of relying solely on refereeing decisions to secure the victory.
Nevertheless, Celtic supporters have argued that controversial decisions can have an impact on momentum and confidence, particularly during a fixture as emotionally charged as the Old Firm derby.
For some fans, the issue is not necessarily one individual decision but the accumulation of several moments throughout the match that they believe deserved closer examination.
The presence of VAR has also intensified the discussion.
Supporters are now questioning why certain incidents did not lead to VAR intervention and whether the officials reached the correct conclusions after reviewing the relevant moments.
The controversy comes at a time when refereeing standards and VAR decisions have already been under intense scrutiny in Scottish football.
SFA head of refereeing Willie Collum has previously addressed several VAR controversies and acknowledged mistakes, further increasing the attention surrounding major officiating decisions.
As a result, Celtic supporters were always likely to analyse Sunday’s incidents in considerable detail.
Social media was quickly flooded with reactions, with some fans calling for explanations and others demanding that Scottish football authorities examine the decisions.
The situation has therefore developed into a debate that goes beyond Celtic’s defeat.
Rangers have advanced to the semi-finals following their convincing 3-0 victory, while Celtic must now deal with their first domestic defeat of the season and their elimination from the cup.
Still, the refereeing controversy could remain one of the biggest talking points from the match.
The performance of Rangers, Dan Neil’s two-goal display and Kelsy’s contribution will undoubtedly dominate much of the post-match discussion.
But if the debate surrounding Nick Walsh and the VAR team continues to grow, the controversial decisions could remain a major talking point for days to come.
For Celtic supporters, the central question remains whether the contentious decisions were simply part of football or whether certain moments genuinely deserved a much closer examination.
With emotions still high following an explosive Old Firm encounter, the argument is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
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