Scottish football is never shy of controversies, explosive narratives and cries of conspiracy.
Along with the action on the pitch, it’s the reason why so many of us are so deeply invested in the outcomes of our national sport.
Unlike our neighbours down south in the glitzy and polished English Premier League, there remains a rawness in the Scottish game.
The storylines it provides are plentiful to fill many a TV bulletin, generate thousands of words and provoke nightly rammies on radio phone-ins.
But this is on a level few of us have ever seen before, even seasoned veterans of life in the SPFL.
When John Beaton was called to the monitor at Fir Park to decide whether Motherwell’s Sam Nicholson handled the ball inside his own area, it sparked an outpouring of emotion that played out in the modern realm of social media and viral hits.
AI-generated photos fuelled conspiratorial beliefs, and people took to the streets to showcase their basic understanding of physics: Look how far this ball can travel after hitting my hand.
Hearts boss Derek McInnes branded the penalty award “disgusting” and said, “It feels like us against everybody”.
A coy Martin O’Neill said he couldn’t really see it on the monitor in the Celtic dugout and perhaps needs new glasses.
SNS GroupAltered Images
The SNS picture agency released a statement on Thursday saying it was aware of a number of images circulating online using its watermark that had been digitally altered.
One image with the SNS watermark appeared to show the ball flush against Nicholson’s hand, whereas the real photos filed by the agency showed no such thing.
Fans are also pointing to another, genuine image from the Alamy photo agency that appears to show the ball striking Nicholson’s hand.
Other digitally altered images were certainly easier to spot, with one showing Nicholson with a massive hand and another showing Nicholson’s arms stretching far into the air like a Stretch Armstrong toy.
Watch
What the managers said about controversial VAR decision
Defying the laws of physics
One of the key arguments made by panellists on Sky Sports’ coverage of the game was that Nicholson had actually headed the ball out of the box, given the pace and trajectory at which it travelled.
Did it come off Nicholson’s hand, or did it only hit his head? Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd was adamant the ball hit Nicholson’s head.
He said: “For that to fly off his head at that pace, if your hand hits a ball, it’s just going to drop right in front of you.”
Well, some people have been to test that theory by taking to the streets to offer up some of their own unique scientific evidence.
Former Hearts striker John Robertson added: “I’m not looking through maroon-tinted spectacles here. His hand’s up, and if it’s hit, his hand, of course, it’s a penalty.
“But look at the power on that, that’s a head.”
Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt appeared to agree, describing the penalty call as the worst VAR decision in history. His sentiments were shared by some big-hitters of the game, including Ally McCoist and Gary Lineker.
What happens now?
It goes down to a final-day shoot-out at Celtic Park when the top two face each other.
Had Celtic drawn on Wednesday night, Hearts could have afforded to lose by two goals when the sides meet on Saturday and still be crowned champions for the first time since 1960.
Instead, Derek McInnes’ men must now avoid defeat at Celtic Park on the final day of the campaign to become the first club other than Celtic or Rangers to win the Scottish top-flight title in 41 years.
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