ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND - MAY 14: Celtic's Reo Hatate leaves the field with an injury during a William Hill Premieship match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie Stadium, on May 14, 2025, in Aberdeen, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
There was one massive downside to Celtic’s 5-1 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
On a night of so many positives the sight of Reo Hatate lying on the turf in the closing minutes is one that will linger on.
In the 84th minute, right in front of the dug-outs Pape Gueye followed through late and dangerously into Hatate’s lower right leg.
Straight away the seriousness was obvious, the only consolation was that Hatate’s foot wasn’t on the ground.
Typically Steven McLean only issued a yellow card, in line with the cowardly standard of Scottish referees under the weak leadership of Willie Collum.
A straight red card is virtually unknown in the SPFL Premiership, hammer throwers like Guye know that they can do almost anything with a yellow card the maximum punishment.
Brendan Rodgers had a ringside view of the incident, even with his side leading 4-1 the hoops boss was furious.
Shocking Habib Gueye tackle on Hatate. Hatate off injured. Gueye sprints in, boots the ball away, then on the follow-through puts his studs over the ball & right into Hatate’s shin/knee. Brendan Rodgers absolutely raging. pic.twitter.com/LRsJ7OO1q7
— The Global Tablet of Jurisprudence (@gtj1247) May 14, 2025
It was a needless challenge. I think the free kick was given, the ball’s just run away, Reo’s just relaxed and stopping it, and the guy loses his head and just kicks through it and block tackles him.
So, hopefully it’s not going to be too serious, but it was a needless challenge. I don’t want to speculate until we know over the next couple of days, but it was a sore one and, like I said, there was no need for the challenge.
Hatate had replaced Callum McGregor in the 61st minute, when he was injured there were no more substitutes to replace him.
Repeatedly Celtic players are subjected to outright brutality and violence from frustrated opponents of far lesser ability.
Nicolas Kuhn has been the main victim this season, last night Luke McCowan was also picked out for attacks that would see red cards elsewhere in Europe.
Hatate looks certain to miss Saturday’s home match against St Mirren, over the next few days the full extent of his injury will be known while Gueye prepares for a Scottish Cup Final at Hampden.
Agree the tackle was moronic as we see with too many teams of hammer throwers in Scotland, esp against us as we and they know they will not be punished.
Cannot understand why he was even on the park though? The whole rationale of 8 replacements was to rest our main men and keep them safe from tackles like this from our cup final opponents who could create absences in their favour for the final.
We were winning 4-1 for gods sake so what benefits were the team and Hatate going to get out of 20 mins of a dead rubber. Crazy.
I thought it merited a straight red card but I could have sworn that Gueye had already been booked earlier. McLean. Beaton. the4th official and the linesman should hang their heads in shame. They will however be thinking job done as Reo will most likely miss the final. Only in this country.
You’re right mate. Just checked my scores app and he was yellow carded on 57 mins, which was well before this incident. No doubt they a) shat the bed about sending off another Dons player, having sent one off already at that point b) figured it was just a Tim player that got assaulted, so it didn’t matter. I agree with DavieBoy54 though. Why were we making these subs in the fecking first place, knowing this could – no, was a nailed on certainty to – happen to one of them?
With the VAR – largely – reducing the quantity of nonsensical penalties given in favour of the current iBrox franchise and against us from a deluge to a trickle, the dark arts practiced by the ‘Huns with whistles’ is having to evolve. No longer can they try to handicap us with their novel interpretations of the Laws of The Game when it comes to penalties, so they will allow dangerous tackles against our players to go unpunished or under-punished. This is what we can look forward to in seasons to come….
And Beaton watching on var does fuck all about it the fat orange bastard
Yes. You can see what their “tactics” will be in the final.
Clug away and hope/expect to get away with it.
Somebody should have emptied Gueye in the minutes remaining. The tackles that were allowed were no more than assaults and our players got little if any protection from that shower of hammer-throwers. Bobo would have put him in row Z.
Why the fck did Rodgers put him on anyway? Fckn eejit
I think the only thing I’m holding to as hope for seriousness of the injury is the fact he remained on the bench to watch the end of the game & didn’t head down the tunnel for further treatment.
His face in the picture tells you all you need to know…
His cup final is gone and he knows it…
You just knew they’d manage it with one player for sure…
And any Sevco sympathisers in The St.Mirren team on Saturday will try the exact fuckin same…
Youse heard it here first now !
Couldn’t agree more with Clachnacuddin.Aberdeens subs were added as hammer throwers, due to their colleagues failure to maim. St.Mirren did damage last time around and will be playing for Aberdeen on Saturday. Celtic need a Bobo or Broony ?? Another Celtic B against the Orange B’s !