Willie Collum dismisses Celtic and Hearts handball comparisons as Rangers get away with St Mirren penalty call

The SFA refs chief denied Cathal McCarty scored an own goal and admitted St. Mirren should have had a spot kick at Ibrox…

By Ross Pilcher · Daily Record

Published: Friday, 23 October 2026 at 6:12 PM

Key Things to Know

Willie Collum dismissed comparisons between controversial handball decisions involving Hearts and Celtic.
Collum confirmed VAR correctly disallowed Laurent Mendy's goal against Kilmarnock due to an initial handball.
The referee chief stated Cathal McCarthy's own goal was an uncontrolled saving action rather than deliberate play.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Scottish FA referee chief Willie Collum dismissed comparisons between disallowed goals involving Hearts and Celtic, defending the decision to rule out Laurent Mendy's goal against Kilmarnock. Speaking on the Sky Sports VAR Review Show, Collum explained that VAR Matthew McDermid was correct because Mendy handled the ball before shooting, and Cathal McCarthy's subsequent own goal was a deflection resulting from a saving action.

Collum rejected arguments regarding whether Mendy's shot was on target, clarifying that the Celtic vs. Dundee United incident differed because the ball went to a teammate. Additionally, Collum admitted officials erred in a separate match by failing to award St Mirren a penalty against Rangers after Manny Fernandez fouled Ismeal Kabia.

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