Former SPFL referee Bobby Madden has weighed in on the controversial incident during Celtic’s recent 3-0 victory over Motherwell, suggesting that Celtic should have been awarded a penalty. The flashpoint occurred in the first half when Daizen Maeda was brought down by Stephen O’Donnell, leading to a goal that was ultimately disallowed due to Maeda’s arm making contact with the ball.
Madden highlighted that Maeda and his teammates did not celebrate the disallowed goal but instead appealed to referee David Dickinson for a penalty. VAR official Alan Muir advised Dickinson to overturn the goal, stating that the arm contact was the reason for the decision. However, Madden believes the circumstances warranted a penalty, emphasizing that O’Donnell was in the wrong position and made no attempt to play the ball, which could have also led to a red card for him.
On his Instagram, Madden noted, “I personally think this is a penalty. The defender is the ‘wrong side’ and makes no contact with the ball. Both players fall to the ground due to contact, in my opinion caused by the defender.” He also discussed the challenges VAR faced, mentioning that the main camera angle suggested a penalty but the lower angles used did not capture the initial contact clearly, making it difficult to recommend an on-field review.
Despite the controversy, Celtic secured a comfortable win, with Motherwell finishing the match with ten men after Liam Gordon received a red card. Dickinson initially issued a yellow card to Gordon but changed his decision following an on-field review.
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