Hibs told Celtic penalty gripe must be escalated to SFA but IFAB rule could halt let off

Martin Boyle has been handed a firm defence by former Celtic star Andy Walker after being booked for diving.

Andy Walker has urged raging Nick Montgomery to escalate their defence of Martin Boyle to the SFA after the Hibs star was booked for diving against Celtic.

The Easter Road boss was left reeling after a string of penalty decisions from referee Nick Walsh and the VAR team as two spot-kicks from Adam Idah saw Brendan Rodgers claim the vital three Premiership points - but he insisted that a challenge on Boyle from Alexandro Bernabei should have also seen the whistler point to the spot. The Australian international was shown a yellow card for simulation for an incident where he collapsed to the turf under minimal contact.

And former Celtic star Walker went to bat for Boyle and Montgomery - insisting that the club should launch an appeal of the yellow card to clear the attacker of diving. Speaking about the flashpoint to The Go Radio Football Show, he said: "If I was Hibs I would appeal that yellow card. That is not a dive. There is clear contact.

"If you don't want to give a penalty that is absolutely fine, because that is the decision of the on-field referee - but I saw something similar at Tynecastle when Alan Forrest was going through on goal and it was a penalty. You saw the replay, and I am watching the replay at the time thinking why are VAR not getting involved here?

"Why are they not telling the referee they have missed something crucial, but they didn't. What are they looking at? It's just bizarre."

Fellow pundit Leanne Crichton added: "The Martin Boyle one - I don't think he does himself any favours because he actually adds a dive onto the end of it. For me, he went up to go down again. But I agree it's not a yellow card because there is contact there."

Walked pressed on: "You would need the definition of what a dive is. Had he given the penalty I would have had no issue with it, because that is the decision of the on-field referee, but it's never a yellow card."

But IFAB rules appear to back-up referee Walsh - as regardless of contact the man in the middle is able to dish out a yellow card if he feels an action was "exaggerated". The law states: "Simulation is when a player tries to deceive the referee by faking or exaggerating an action to get: a free kick or penalty kick and a red or yellow card for an opponent

It is noted that a player can be guilty of simulation in a number of ways, including pretending to have been fouled to get a free kick or penalty kick or exaggerating the seriousness of a foul and the strength/effect of a kick, push, etc. This would appear to vaildate Walsh if he felt that the "strength" of the contact made by Bernabei during the incident.