And you can add to this the fact that Celtic’s opener from Stephen McManus wasn’t just the result of a dubious free kick awarded against Falkirk, but was actually palmed into the net by McManus, who later admitted to his crime.
See below for a gif of Stephen McManus scoring with the handball.
Michael Higdon the Falkirk striker was scathing in his remarks after the match, stating in The Herald "The referees do bottle it because they keep making the same mistakes all the time." He cited Charlie Richardson's refusal to give a penalty against Celtic at Tannadice last week and said that Brines, who stopped play before Zander Diamond scored against the champions late last season, was "obviously a Celtic fan".
He continued his criticism in the The Daily Record This referee must be a Celtic fan. I was marking Stephen McManus on the free-kick so it is more frustrating for me that he scored. It was a clear hand-ball. I even asked McManus after it and he admitted he handled the ball into the net.The referee didn't give us a foul but it was so obvious. McManus just ran in front of a crowd of players and scooped it in with his hand. I couldn't believe it. I could have knocked the referee out to be honest. It was a double whammy for us as it was never a free-kick that led to the goal.The ref gave the free-kick then didn't disallow the goal. I just can't believe it.
The decision to give the free kick can be seen below
This is not the first time Falkirk have suffered due to controversial decisions in games against Celtic - It is their third consecutive league game where there has been controversy, more details here and here. John Hughes was to refer to this and the games Celtic had against St Mirren and Dundee United, when dubious decision impacted on the match result, in comments made on the BBC website.
I wonder if it's maybe pre-meditated, or maybe it's just me, wee Gus and Craig Levein. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Date: 23 August 2008
Referee: Ian Brines
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