BBC Highlights: Celtic Penalties Not Addressed

Eight minutes of highlights on BBC Scotland is fairly extensive. More than enough to cover five goals and other incidents of note during a match with an impact at the top and bottom of the SPFL.

As a bonus favoured Sportscene pundits Neil McCann and Billy Dodds were in the home dug-out.

Twice during the second half Brad Lyons raised his arms in the box to make contact with the ball.

Match referee Duncan Nicolson chose to ignore both incidents. Greg Aitken on VAR did likewise. Sky Sports never mentioned either penalty claim.

BBC SCOTLAND- HIGHLY SELECTIVE EDITING

BBC Scotland can be added to that list as they attempt to airbrush the incidents away.

Instead, after the match the state broadcaster allowed McCann to bleat about about seven minutes of stoppage time.

The BBC reporter opted out of mentioning two goals, three bookings, three stops for substitutions plus Lyons, Dom Thompson and Tyreece John-Jules receiving treatment on the pitch.

Celtic fans watching the match on Sky Sports noted the penalty claims. Especially in the 85th minute when Lyons raised and swung his arm at the ball as Sebastian Tounekti waited for it to hit ground level.

Fortunately on Twitter/X we have Lint to detail the incidents that legacy media outlets won’t go near.

Stonewaller. Why is his hand up there. Killie fan on VAR🤷
— Ped (@PEDN341) February 15, 2026

EXHIBIT A

No further explanation is needed.

One Celtic fan at home can slow the incident down to see exactly what happened in the 85th minute.

Aitken on VAR is from Kilmarnock, went to school in the town and still lives there. Sunday was the third time in 18 months that Willie Collum has put him on VAR for his hometown club playing against Celtic.

Aitken had access to the full range of cameras from Sky Sports to review the incident.

Either he decided not to review it or he looked against it and decided against referee Nicholson taking a pitchside review.

While Celtic refuse to comment or criticise match officials these decisions will continue. The same officials giving decisions in the same direction.

Greg Aitken on var again????
— RosieT (@rosietoal) February 15, 2026

EXHIBIT B

This one is closer, exactly the sort of incident that VAR can clear up. But chose not to.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shoots powerfully from the edge of the 18 yard box. Lyons is aware of the threat, turns his back towards the shot and raises his right arm.

Had it hit the Kilmarnock defender on the head he would probably have fallen to the ground instantly, the ball would have spun high into the air.

There is a very good chance that it struck his raised right arm. Nicolson, Aitken, Sky Sports and BBC Scotland didn’t want to look into that possibility.

In the clip above there are eight minutes of highlights before the post match interviews.

Michael Stewart provided analysis on the two first half Kilmarnock goals.

Jackie McNamara then discussed Celtic’s first two goals.

Both pundits then got involved in discussing the match in general and the importance of the winning goal from Julian Araujo.

No other incidents were highlighted or discussed.

TRIAL BY SPORTSCENE

So much for Trial by Sportscene. Other legacy outlets can now skip over the two penalty incidents with Gordon Duncan opting to leave them out of the monthly VAR whitewash with Collum.

In England Aitken wouldn’t get near a match directly involving his hometown club or impacting on them.

A newspaper would highlight the conflict of interest, put it to the impacted club and take the story to the FA.

In Scotland they do things differently. Secretly out of respect to Collum and the influential Lanarkshire Refereeing Association.

There are various conflicts of interest that wouldn’t be tolerated in England. The Lanarkshire mob would be involved in games on the east coast, not their favourite club. Or the club supported by family members or where their employer has a relationship.

This morning Nick Walsh and Grant Irvine are at work in Boclair Academy. The partner school of the Murray Park starlets.

David Dickinson’s family celebrated wildly yesterday’s outcome at Ibrox. Did David Junior join in?

John Beaton’s ambitions have been clear from his schooldays. A pattern of decisions going back to Albion Rovers at Ibrox 12 years all point in one direction.

The more that legacy outlets, the clubs and the SFA refuse to address basic issues the more fans will dig.

Meanwhile every month thousands more people decide not to pay the £13 a month TV tax.

BBC Scotland, employing stars such as Tom English, Kenny Macintyre, Steven Thompson, Alasdair Lamont, Jane Lewis and others is entirely funded by the BBC TV tax.