Bobby Madden WCS, Celtic vs Rangers clash: Madden defends penalty decision as ‘factual’ and ‘simple’.
Rangers are still feeling aggrieved, which ex-referee Bobby Madden has claimed the team had been denied an obvious penalty at the encounter in the final of the Premier Sports Cup against Celtic. The event at issue took place in the first half of the added time and it was a foul by Liam Scales who brought down Vaclav Cerny in the box.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement argue but John Beaton gave a free-kick instead of a penalty and there was no VAR to change things. Madden though feels that Beaton blundered that the VAR team should have educated him that Cerny had his foot in the penalty box.
Afterwards, Madden used his Instagram to justify his view that the move is factual & simple. He wrote, “I’ve been commenting on decisions for over a year, and this is one of the very few which have a basis in fact.” There is no discussion here and no doubt that about the objective reality of the questioned phenomena. At penalty area there is holding.”
Madden also pointed out that he felt that should not have blown the whistle to summon the referee to the monitor to watch the play. The VAR team should have recommended to Beaton to give a penalty in that match according to specific details. ‘Where, it is a factual decision, then there will be no need for the referee to go to the monitor’. VAR ought to have advised, referee makes TV signal, and then gives a penalty. That’s it.”
Madden congratulated the referee team saying they had an excellent game, but added that the VAR system is aimed at finding such an offense as that committed by Scales. “I want to remind people, though, that it is only a game of football,” Madden said.