Bobby Madden explains why Celtic were denied a penalty at Ibrox
Soccer Football - Scottish Cup Semi Final - Celtic v Rangers - Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - April 17, 2022 Celtic's Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor with referee Bobby Madden REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Bobby Madden has explained why no penalty was awarded against Connor Goldson today as the Ibrox club extended their SPFL run to 53 without conceding a penalty.
To most fans watching the match on Sky Sports it seemed like a clear penalty overlooked by Steven McLean with Steven Kirkland on VAR deciding not to intervene.
Tracking a run by Reo Hatate deep into the penalty box Goldson had his left arm raised with his right hand striking the ball.
Explaining the non-award of a penalty kick Football Scotland reports Madden saying:
Then there was the potential penalty for handball by Goldson. In that one, people will potentially say the arm is away from the body.
But any supporting arm on the ground or the arm going to support the player on the ground is not considered deliberate handball so it is not a handball offence.
VAR would have checked that and with that criteria, would have advised the referee it was the correct decision.
Should Celtic have been awarded a penalty for Connor Goldson's handball?
Madden doesn’t seem to offer any explanation why Goldson raised his left arm but using his right hand for balance blocked the ball without any punishment.
Celtic were trailing 2-0 at the time, scoring from a penalty shortly before half-time would have put a different complex on the match.
At 1-0 down Oh Hyeon-gyu and Liel Abada missed good chances to equalise as the champions looked for a way back into the match.
After one season refereeing in England Madden has decided to retire at the age of 44 with regular media slots expected just a year after he was in the front line in the Scottish game.