Celtic penalty controversy at Motherwell leads to call to involve the FBI

What a season this has been. I have run out of superlatives to describe this campaign, one you genuinely could not make up in your wildest dreams…

A night of drama that will last long in the memory 

Every time you think the drama has ended, something else pops up leaving you totally bewildered and struggling to believe what your eyes are witnessing in front of them. When you thought things couldn’t get anymore dramatic, last night happens.

Absolute bedlam at the end

Yet another rollercoaster ride that ended with the biggest moment of the season yet. Absolute bedlam. Celtic fans left in delirium while almost everyone else with an interest in Scottish football headed into a glorious meltdown, except of course the Hibs fans who were celebrating the Celtic goals wildly while watching their team play at Ibrox.

I have been saying for weeks that Motherwell at Fir Park could be the game that leads to our demise. It was the one game I feared the most. And so it proved to be. Almost. As all our hope of salvaging the most unlikely of league titles was draining away, the heaven’s looked down upon this Celtic team and said ‘not today’.

A penalty awarded seconds before the final whistle

A penalty awarded seconds before the final whistle. Then a man with ice running through his veins stepped up and dispatched it with ease. Absolute scenes as the Celtic fans spilled out of the stands to embrace their heroes. Three more points. One more game away from the ultimate glory.

Who else but that man Daizen Maeda?

I’m still smiling after last night. That was genuinely one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed. With work in the morning I avoided the bar, I would endure this one fully sober. At times I felt like reaching for a bottle of the hard stuff.

When we went 1-0 down I felt we would always come back, there was no way Motherwell could continue their intensity. Who else but that man Daizen Maeda? As time went on the nerves jangled but I could feel a winner coming. I was shocked at the source however.

Frustration at Benjamin Nygren before his brilliant goal

I have found myself recently getting more and more frustrated by Benjamin Nygren as the season has gone on. I was begging Martin O’Neill to drag him off and get someone else on. It didn’t matter who, just someone who wouldn’t get dispossessed so easily. Someone who would fight for every ball. Then he does it again! An absolutely stunning goal out of nowhere. A total enigma of a player if I’ve ever seen one.

As Celtic tried to see out the game you could feel a Motherwell goal coming. We were living on the edge and my nerves were gone. My wife even joined me, you know this season is gripping stuff when she is even showing an interest.

I sat feeling gutted I just couldn’t see us scoring a winner

I said to her we are going to concede here. It didn’t take long. As I sat feeling gutted I just couldn’t see us scoring a winner, not this time.

Then the penalty decision. I initially thought it was for the elbow, which I thought had a good chance of being given. When I saw the replay and discovered the handball, I started to believe. With Andrew Dallas on VAR however I thought we were about to be screwed, as we were earlier when Maeda was denied a stonewall penalty. I let out a scream of delight as the penalty was awarded.

Unworldly from Iheanacho 

After being told to keep the noise down by the wife, incase I woke my young daughter up, I pulled my t-shirt over my face. I can’t watch this. The t-shirt got quickly pulled down when the wife said Liam Scales was taking it! Thankfully he wasn’t an Iheanacho stepped up.

To have the courage to step up in a situation like this is extraordinary. To be able to calmly dispatch a penalty under that pressure like Iheanacho did, is unworldly.

Watch the Unique Angle from Celtic TV below…

There was no way I could go straight to bed after that so I watched the post match analysis, and that was almost as glorious as the final minute of the match.

The meltdown in the studio was off the scale. Kris Boyd was incandescent with rage. John Robertson was seething. Even Paul Hartley looked distraught. Boyd and Robertson weren’t mincing their words. The officials have made error after error recently all benefiting Celtic. Hearts manager Derek McInnes wasn’t far behind them, stating the decision was “disgusting”. It was a joy to watch.

The whole of Scottish football is apparently corrupt

Online was even better. All the right people were left foaming at the mouth. A friend text me to say check out the Rangers forums. I’m glad I did as it was total madness. Thread after thread dedicated to how the whole of Scottish football was corrupt.

They were pledging to never watch it again. Lodging complaints with sporting bodies was no good. The police should be involved. At one stage they were actually urging their American owners to get the FBI involved (see below). I’m genuinely not kidding. It was absolutely mental. The irony of it all, coming from fans of a club who were ACTUALLY cheating for years.

A win guarantees us the title

Anyway, we move on now to Saturday and we know that a win guarantees us the title. I would give absolutely anything for it to be straightforward. An early goal followed by another. A solid lead as we coast towards full-time. If this season has taught me anything is that this is purely wishful thinking. It will be an all out battle, one that I think still has a few twists and turns left yet.

Surely nothing could match last night for drama.

Could it?

Conall McGinty

READ THIS...SANDMAN’S DEFINITIVE RATINGS: CELTIC @ FIR PARK COAT AND NAE KNICKERS – Motherwell 2-3 Celtic – “Iconic scenes, iconic scenes” and iconic ratings

🍀 Watch highlights as VAR drama saw Celtic score a 99th-minute penalty to beat Motherwell and set up a final-day title decider at home to Hearts, live on Sky Sports ⤵️https://t.co/dCADbD9r5i

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 13, 2026

HAVE YOUR SAY…Tell us your thoughts on last night’s dramatic match at Fir Park and what it means for Saturday as Hearts come to Celtic Park for a title showdown.  Post in the comments section below…

Now the dust has settled.. The reaction from many high profile people is way over the top. John Beaton was advised to go to the monitor and saw that the ball hit the arm in an unnatural position Bottom line is people would hate to see Celtic win the title again and that is all.

— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) May 14, 2026

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