Referee Don Robertson and the VAR team made the right call in awarding Celtic a first-half penalty during their crucial matchup against Hearts at Celtic Park.
According to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett, the sliding challenge by Alexandros Kyziridis met all the criteria for a punishable handball. Hackett shared this exclusive insight with Football Insider.
Lawrence Shankland had previously quieted the Celtic Park crowd in the 43rd minute by heading in the opening goal. However, the Jambos surrendered their lead just six minutes later. Kyziridis attempted to block a cross, but the ball struck the Hearts winger on the arm. Hackett believes Robertson was left with no choice but to point to the penalty spot.
Kyziridis Unfortunate at Celtic Park
Hackett explained the reasoning behind the decision to Football Insider:
“The match officials have called this one correctly. I have written on numerous occasions that the handball law offers too much subjectivity in the decision-making process. The referee has to ask himself, ‘Is the body shape bigger?’ and ‘Was there movement of the hand towards the ball?’.”
He added that the referee correctly judged the hand to be in an unnatural position with definite movement toward the ball. Even though the defender was simply moving to close down the attacker, Hackett maintained it was a good decision by the officials to award the penalty kick.
Where Robertson Stumbled
While Hackett agreed with the penalty decision, the official’s overall performance was far from flawless. Both sets of supporters experienced bouts of frustration before the home fans celebrated a dramatic victory in the final minutes.
Despite the high stakes of the match, Robertson frequently hesitated to book players. He allowed both Alistair Johnston and Callum McGregor to escape punishment for early incidents before finally showing them yellow cards later in the game.
Additionally, the referee poorly managed an injury to Beni Baningime. After the midfielder appeared to pull his hamstring, Kelechi Iheanacho stopped play so medical staff could enter the pitch. It was obvious that Baningime required a substitution. Instead of directing him to leave the pitch at the nearest boundary line, Robertson allowed him to walk all the way across the field, drawing vocal frustration from the Celtic fans.