Bobby Madden has praised referee Don Robertson for making the correct call in waving away Rangers’ penalty appeals during the Scottish Cup quarter-final against Celtic.
The incident occurred in the first half when Youssef Chermiti’s shot struck Auston Trusty inside the box as the Celtic defender slid in to block. Rangers players were convinced it was a spot kick, and co-commentators Neil Lennon and Alan Hutton both initially reacted as though a penalty was the obvious outcome, with Trusty’s left arm appearing to be outstretched from the first viewing angle.
However, following a VAR review, Robertson allowed play to continue, and upon closer inspection both Lennon and Hutton came around to the view that the decision was correct. The replays showed the ball had made contact with Trusty’s right arm, which was tucked in close to his body rather than extended away from it.
Madden offered his analysis on Instagram, backing Robertson’s call and explaining the key distinction. He pointed out that all the commentators had instinctively called it a penalty in real time, which illustrated just how difficult the decision was to make in the moment. His reasoning was straightforward: because the ball struck the right arm, which was in a natural position and not contributing to making Trusty’s body bigger, there was no offence. Had the ball struck the left arm instead, which was positioned away from the body and would have blocked the ball from its path toward goal, the outcome would have been different and a penalty would have been the correct call.