Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Pirie

Michael Smith Celtic handball penalty snub splits the pundits as Hearts star receives 'natural position' VAR defence

Confident Michael Stewart insists Hearts defender Michael Smith should not have been punished for a handball in the box against Celtic.

Winger James Forrest attempted to cut in on the left-hand side, with a lobbed effort looking making contract with Hearts defender Michael Smith's hand. Ange Postecoglou was left in disbelief when referee Nick Walsh waved away the penalty claim without allowing the whistler a VAR review of the incident as the new system took centre stage at Tynecastle.

Celtic fans and pundits have been critical of the decision in the capital with Steven McLean deciding the incident did not need further review from the VAR room. The call sparked a heated debate between the Sportscene pundits, but Stewart insists the man in the middle got the call right on the pitch.

He said: "Nick Walsh is in the perfection position and I think they come to the right decision. They are very quick with this one, but where is his arm meant to be?

"It's not a case of not hitting the ball, his arm is in a completely natural position. I can understand why some people see it as a penalty as his arms are swinging.

"The rules are if it is a deliberate handball, and it's not deliberate, or if he is making his body bigger that is not part of a natural movement."

Fellow pundit Shelley Kerr cut Stewart off, adding: "That is still interpretation. When I watched it right away I thought it was going to be a penalty, and the reason why is watching it again I think he moves his arm up to the ball.

"I am not saying it's intentional. I think you see a motion towards the ball."

Stewart went on: "Handball is a big one for me. There is a big problem where you get punished as a defender for things that are not deliberate.

"They have change the handball law that it no longer means unnaturally big, it's all about the movement of the body. Anything Michael Smith has done there is a completely normal action."

READ NEXT

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.