Celtic handed red card clarification after Martin O’Neill fury vs Hearts as VAR mystery lingers.

The manager argued strongly that the initial yellow card should never have been upgraded following VAR intervention, but Auston Trusty’s sending off against Hearts has since been supported as the correct decision despite the anger from Celtic boss Martin O’Neill.

The American defender was dismissed while Celtic were ahead at Tynecastle after he pulled back Landry Kabore as the attacker raced in behind the Hoops’ back line. Referee Steven McLean originally punished the incident with a yellow card, but VAR official John Beaton advised him to review the challenge on the pitchside monitor.

After taking another look, McLean changed his decision to a red card, leaving Celtic a man down before Claudio Braga eventually grabbed a late equaliser.

Speaking after the match, O’Neill made it clear he felt the defender was harshly treated. He insisted Trusty should have avoided a dismissal because teammates Liam Scales and Dane Murray were in positions to provide cover, and he also pointed out that the ball Kabore was chasing appeared to be moving away from goal rather than directly towards it.

However, former player Andy Halliday offered a different view while analysing the incident on BBC Sportscene. Halliday said his first reaction was that it warranted a red card and admitted he was surprised McLean was asked to consult the monitor after initially producing a yellow. Although he acknowledged that viewers are not aware of the exact exchange between the referee and the VAR team, he believes the officials ultimately reached the correct outcome.

Halliday also suggested that the distances of the covering defenders weaken the argument that Trusty should have stayed on the pitch, noting that they were still several yards away from the play.

While he accepted that some debate could centre on the direction the ball was travelling, he maintained Kabore was still likely to reach it and get a shot away, which, in his opinion, justifies the dismissal. He added that it will be “interesting” to hear the VAR audio when it is released, as it could provide more insight into how the decision was reached.