By Keith Hackett

5th Apr, 2023 | 4:56pm

Ex-Fifa official hits out at Celtic injustice as Cameron Carter-Vickers controversy analysed

Keith Hackett has insisted the decision to award Celtic a penalty for handball against Ross County star Alex Iacovitti was “more than harsh”.

The ex-Fifa and Premier League referee was speaking exclusively to Football Insider in the aftermath of the Hoops’ 2-0 victory over County on Sunday (2 April).

As seen in footage from Sky Sports on Twitter (3 April), Cameron Carter-Vickers’ goalbound header was blocked by the arm of Iacovitti.

The incident was flagged by the VAR official and referee Willie Collum chose to give a penalty despite the close proximity of the Ross County star to the ball.

Celtic star Jota stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick in first-half stoppage time, giving Ange Postecoglou’s side the lead.

The Scottish Premiership leaders went on to claim a 2-0 victory to maintain their lead over Old Firm rivals Rangers.

Hackett told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I think it’s very harsh.

“The arm is out – but he’s jumping, and there’s no chance of retracting it.

“I don’t think his arm was out to stop the ball passing. This is a real difficulty that referees are now facing.

“I really don’t think that can be classed as handball. I’ve said it’s harsh, but I think it’s even more than that.”

Celtic’s lead over Rangers stands at nine points – with both sides having played 30 games.

The bitter rivals face off at Parkhead on Saturday (8 April) ahead of the league split later this month.

In other news, major update on Brendan Rodgers making stunning potential Celtic return.