Celtic’s Hyun-Jun Yang and Kilmarnock’s Lewis Mayo banned after red card appeals rejected by Scottish FA

The winger will now miss the team’s next two matches, which are scheduled for March 16 in the Scottish Premiership at St Johnstone and March 19 at home against Livingston in the Scottish Cup quarterfinals.

Only after a VAR assessment caused referee Don Robertson to reverse his initial verdict from a yellow card to a red one was Yang sent off for a high challenge on Alex Cochrane early in Celtic’s 2-0 loss.

Celtic also stated in a statement released on Monday that they had written to the Scottish FA “to raise our serious concerns regarding the use of VAR and the decisions made within the match”.

The organisation stated: “As we have said before, for some time Celtic has sought to work with the footballing authorities with the aim of improving standards associated with refereeing and the use of VAR in Scotland, something which is clearly in the wider interests of everyone within the game.”

Minutes after Adam Idah’s penalty kick was saved by Zander Clark for Celtic following Cochrane’s barge on Yang, Adam Idah was shown the red card.

Later on in the match, goals for both teams were disallowed for offside, and Hearts was given a penalty for a handball by Tomoki Iwata.

Brendan Rodgers criticised the match officials for their “shocking decision-making” and called them “really, really poor” after Celtic’s defeat, which prevented them from taking the lead in the standings.

During a fast-track hearing on Tuesday, Kilmarnock’s appeal about the red card given to Lewis Mayo was likewise denied.

Mayo was substituted out of the game with the score tied at one when he collided with Scott Tiffoney of Dundee, giving the home team a penalty.

Although Robbie Deas’ late equaliser gave Killie a point in the 91st minute, Luke McCowan’s spot kick was successful.

Mayo will miss Rugby Park’s match against St. Mirren on March 16 due to a one-match league ban. He is able to participate in the club’s Scottish Cup quarter-final at Aberdeen on Saturday.

The “inconsistency” of VAR and refereeing decisions, according to Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes, “is driving us all mad” following the incident.