“Buzzing” Anthony Ralston insists the penalty controversy that has rumbled on since Sunday hasn’t put “any dampener” on Celtic’s League Cup joy.
Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum has described the “really poor” decision not to award Rangers an extra-time spot-kick as an “unacceptable” error by the VAR officials.
Defender Liam Scales fouled Vaclav Cerny on the edge of Celtic’s box when the scores were tied at 3-3 at Hampden. Referee John Beaton awarded a foul, although replays showed the infringement was inside the area, and Celtic went on to win 5-4 on penalties.
Defender Ralston said: “I don’t feel it has put any sort of dampener on our success. We’re all buzzing, we’re all extremely happy with the outcome of the game.
“We got our hands on the trophy and that’s all we really care about to be honest, everything else is not something that we’re going to overly pay attention to. It’s not obviously our place to do that.
“From my point of view, I didn’t really look too much into it after the game. There was an on-field decision made at the time, which isn’t down to us to make as players.
“There wasn’t much said about it until after the game, when ultimately we’d won.
“So it’s part and parcel of football. And, I can speak on behalf of the other lads, we don’t take much to do with it. Let the officials do that side of it.”
Celtic’s triumph moved them to 119 trophies, one ahead of Rangers.
Ralston said: “It’s an important point in our history and as a club and we’re delighted to be able to deliver that to the fans all around the world.
“It’s a special thing. It’s another marker for us as a group of players and we want to keep delivering success, and that’s what drives us every day to do that.”
