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Penrice Gets Away With Embarrassing Dive — VAR and Scottish Refereeing Under the Spotlight Again

Scottish football has produced another refereeing controversy, and this time James Penrice is at the centre of it…

By Aodhán Ó Conchobhair · ReadCeltic

Published: Saturday, 7 November 2026 at 9:14 PM

Key Things to Know

Aodhán Ó Conchobhair argues James Penrice was wrongly awarded a penalty following an embarrassing dive against St Mirren.
The writer criticizes VAR for failing to overturn the controversial penalty decision.
Read Celtic asserts the lack of intervention on simulation further damages trust in Scottish refereeing.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Writer Aodhán Ó Conchobhair criticizes Scottish refereeing and VAR following a controversial penalty incident involving James Penrice against St Mirren. The writer describes Penrice's action to earn the spot-kick as an embarrassing attempt at simulation that officials nonetheless awarded.

The article argues that the incident highlights ongoing flaws in Scottish officiating, questioning why VAR intervenes on tight offside calls but permitted this decision to stand. Ó Conchobhair contends such unpunished incidents encourage simulation and erode confidence in refereeing standards across the game.

Read the full article on ReadCeltic

Penrice Gets Away With Embarrassing Dive — VAR and Scottish Refereeing Under the Spotlight Again

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