Michael Nicholson and the Celtic board might be quiet happy to sit back quietly and joke about the events at Easter Road but supporters aren’t quite so forgiving.
Alan Muir is a name that is notorious with hoops supporters, since the Josh Meekings incident at the 2015 Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness Caley Thistle his name has always been a red flag.
Last weekend the SFA decided to team him up with Steven McLean, the two officials close to that incident at Hampden almost a decade ago, both have enjoyed very lucrative careers on the back of that decision which denied Ronny Deila a cup final against Falkirk to win a Treble.
Six days after the match the SFA published the verdict from their Key Match Incidents panel, by 4 to 1 they decided that the onfield decision to let the goal stand was the correct verdict.
There are reasons to believe that the one person that agreed with the decision is to give the SFA grounds for continuing to employ Muir.
The issue isn’t whether the ball was over the line when Johnston cut it back into the Hibs goal-mouth, it is whether there was enough evidence for Muir to rule that a clear and obvious error had occurred.
Clearly, as Brendan Rodgers suspected the evidence wasn’t there, Muir guessed at it
Whether you are on form or not, whether you are 13 points clear at the top of the SPFL or not you deserve to have the Laws of the Game applied.
Muir’s motivation can only be guessed at, what can be said with certainty is that three times in his Celtic SPFL matches this season the SFA have been forced to go public that one of their full-time VAR officials has failed to properly apply the Laws of the Game.
Last summer Collum promoted Muir into the full-time VAR role alongside Andrew Dallas and Greg Aitken, Muir’s appointment says everything about Collum’s judgement.
❌ The SFA’s Key Match Incident panel believe the decision to disallow a potential equaliser for Celtic against Hibs last weekend was wrong ⬇️https://t.co/qbAXyMIIZv
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) February 28, 2025
Celtic 4-0 Kilmarnock, 4 August. Late in the match Kyogo Furuhashi races onto a quickly taken free-kick by Matt O’Riley, he is completely wiped out by Robbie McCrorie on the six yard line. Muir on VAR failed to inform Don Robertson that a penalty should be awarded. Collum owns up to the mistake in the first VAR Review.
Motherwell 0-3 Celtic, 27 October. Daizen Maeda puts the ball in the net while on the ground, referee David Dickinson sees nothing wrong and awards a goal. On VAR duty Muir correctly picks up on the handball but fails to notice that Maeda had been pushed by Stephen O’Donnell which explains why he was on the ground. Collum owns up to the mistake on the VAR Review.
Hibs 2-1 Celtic, 22 February. Alistair Johnston cuts the back from the bye-line for Daizen Maeda to score, referee McLean and his assistant David Roome see nothing wrong with it. With no conclusive evidence Muir on VAR duty intervenes to disallow the ‘goal’. The KMI panel of the SFA rules 4-1 that Muir was wrong to over-rule the on field decision.
Brendan Rodgers has managed Celtic in 10 domestic cup competitions, he has lost one tie, away to Kilmarnock last season in the League Cup with Muir managing the fixture on the pitch as referee backed up by Don Robertson on VAR.
Not often referees show their emotions after a game.
— Enormous Larks (@Blarrknulp) August 20, 2023
Since his performance in the Hibs match Muir has been left out of two rounds of SPFL Premiership fixtures.
On Tuesday Collum will publish four sets of officials to take charge of next weekends Scottish Cup quarter-final matches.
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Celtic must take SFA to task and demand Alan Muir should not be involved in officiating future Celtic matches
— Eddy Grady (@EddyGrady) February 28, 2025
We clearly have an official on VAR who doesn’t understand/know the rules around the use of VAR or he is a cheat it can’t be anything else.
— 🍀Rebels’n’Trebles🍀 (@cannybeatitN1) February 28, 2025
Two good goals in a week wrongly chopped off by VAR, incompetence or worse?
— Michael Morrison (@m200klb) February 28, 2025
Surprise surprise. How long is Alan Muir going to be suspended for then? The man has wronged Celtic on at least 2 occasions this season. His impartiality must be questioned.
— John G McKenna (@mamagee46) February 28, 2025
Sack muir he has an agenda against our club
— Tony Tracey (@treblebhoys01) February 28, 2025
Then if this is the case Alan muir lied when he says factually out, so he must be sacked, this isn’t the first time
— andrew cormie 🍀 (@AndrewCormie) March 1, 2025
Muir must now either resign or SFA must sack him.He’s either incompetent or a cheat. Either way SFA must show that they are impartial.That’s now at least 3 major decisions this season Maeda Penalty v Motherwell, Rangers Penalty at League Cup Final and now ball out of play v Hibs
— JmpD67 (@JmpD6788) February 28, 2025
Var will improve the game they said.
It will take away the controversy and make things more transparent.
Yet time and time again we are seeing the opposite.
VAR is not the problem. It is just not being applied impartialy or competently. Sometimes both. Brendan was right ☘️
— Billy,Bertie and Bobby (@jenual67) March 1, 2025
Muir must now either resign or SFA must sack him.He’s either incompetent or a cheat. Either way SFA must show that they are impartial.That’s now at least 3 major decisions this season Maeda Penalty v Motherwell, Rangers Penalty at League Cup Final and now ball out of play v Hibs
— JmpD67 (@JmpD6788) February 28, 2025
It wasn’t a ‘potential’ equaliser… it WAS an equaliser…
VAR is simply an opportunity for biased officials to make decisions that favour their team, which they don’t have to declare.
What are the SFA doing to prevent this happening again???
— 🏴NineteenSixtySimon🇮🇪 (@GreatNumber7s) February 28, 2025
He knows the ball was never out. It’s not the first time for that cheating bastard Muir against Celtic. Cup game last year against Killie when he didn’t give us a stone wall penalty and then the panel came out weeks later and said we should have been given a penalty.
— D (@LawwellsBank) February 28, 2025
Sack the incompetent employees who got it wrong. There’s too much at stake financially for these continual major errors. Clubs are being impacted financially. In the corporate world, they’d be gone..
— Phil taking a pill (@Philtakingapill) March 1, 2025
VAR shouldn’t have intevend in the first place. They job is to intervene when it’s a clear and obvious error. Muir had no proof that the ball had went over the line. So that man cheated and shouldn’t b aloud near a football game ever. He should b given his P45👏👏
— D (@LawwellsBank) February 28, 2025
Alan muir should be getting reprimanded for this it isn’t the 1st error he has had this year
— Brian Barnes (@barnesb990) February 28, 2025
What is the point of this panel???? Everyone knew this incident couldn’t be proven one way or other. SACK THE LOT OF THEM
— GandolfG (@gindog20) February 28, 2025
The pattern of assistance towards one team is astounding!
Luckily they had an even worse score line— Dannys Beard 🟢⚪🍀⚪🟢 (@Dannys_Beard) February 28, 2025
Who was the 1? Alan Muir?
— John Smith (@smith_john232) February 28, 2025
