Motherwell's Nicholson 'swore on child's life' over late Celtic penalty controversy
Former Hearts star Nicholson protested his innocence to a close friend over the controversial stoppage-time Celtic penalty decision
Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson swore on his child’s life that he did not handle the ball during the controversial incident that handed Celtic a crucial late victory, according to ESPN broadcaster Mark Donaldson.
Nicholson was penalised for an alleged handball deep into stoppage time, allowing Kelechi Iheanacho to convert a 99th-minute penalty and secure a 3-2 win for the defending champions.
The decision, awarded after referee John Beaton was sent to the monitor by VAR Andrew Dallas, moved Celtic to within a point of leaders Hearts ahead of their Scottish Premiership title decider.
The controversy carries added weight given Nicholson grew up as a boyhood Hearts supporter before going on to make over 100 appearances for the Tynecastle club between 2013 and 2017.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Mark Donaldson, an avid Jambo himself and the host of Hearts fans’ podcast Scarves Around The Funnel, revealed that Nicholson had immediately protested his innocence to a close friend in the aftermath of the match.
“I’m from a town outside Edinburgh called Penicuik. Sam Nicholson is from there as well, and Sam was the player who was penalised for the handball,” Donaldson said.
“Now, a good friend of mine, a mutual friend of ours, is one of Sam’s best friends. Within minutes after the game when he was back in the changing room, Sam messaged my good friend, swearing on his kid’s life that he didn’t handle the ball.
“Now, everyone else is accusing him of lying then, saying it was a handball.”
The penalty award has sparked a fierce national debate over refereeing standards and the use of technology in Scottish football, drawing criticism from high-profile figures including Gary Lineker, Simon Jordan and former Rangers manager Ally McCoist.
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou argued Nicholson’s arm was pushed into an unnatural position by Celtic defender Auston Trusty, while Hearts boss Derek McInnes branded the decision “disgusting”.
Donaldson believes part of the issue lies with the standard of the technology available to Scottish match officials.
“The problem in Scottish football is the implementation of budget VAR,” he added. “It’s like going into Hamleys and all you’ve got is Fisher-Price toys.
“You cannot compete and get the same level of consistency of decisions when you have this budget, half-price cheap decision-making tool. And that’s the issue with Scottish football.”
Donaldson also got into a heated debate on the matter with talkSPORT presenter and Celtic fan Shebahn Aherne.
The fallout from the fixture has dominated the build-up to the climax of the William Hill Premiership season.
Former Scotland striker McCoist previously stated the implementation of VAR was making the Scottish game look like "absolute clowns", while Match of the Day presenter Lineker described the penalty as potentially the worst VAR decision he had ever seen.
However, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton defended the officials, arguing the footage showed the ball hitting an arm in an unnatural position and claiming the widespread backlash was driven by a desire to see Celtic fail to win the title.