When Dermot Gallagher defended the decision to punish Tomoki Iwata for handball against Hearts, it caused a stir on the Ref Watch panel.

The incident-filled 2-0 loss for Celtic at Tynecastle included several contentious calls that have generated a lot of discussion in the day that has passed. Adam Idah missed a controversial penalty granted to the Hoops early in the game, and Yang was sent off for what appeared to be a high boot following a VAR review. However, the penalty handball that went against Iwata has been the main topic of conversation since Monday morning.

on-field referee Iwata looked away from the ball and extended his arms for balance as he came back down, but Robertson refused to let up. But the ball hit his left arm below the shoulder, and Jorge Grant stepped up to convert it when VAR John Beaton brought Robertson over for another look.

Gallagher, a former top whistler, feels that the Japanese star was treated harshly, but he has supported SPFL officials for their consistency this season regarding the handball rule. “That was harsh, but one thing you would say is that, so far this season in Scottish football, any incident like that has been penalised for handball,” the speaker remarked. Very unlucky and harsh. However, to their credit, each and every one has been granted.”

But his sympathy for the official didn’t sit well with analysts Sue Smith and Stephen Warnock. “That’s awful, that was a bad decision,” interjected Warnock, and Smith followed with, “I don’t know what he’s supposed to do with his arm.” As he descends, the ball strikes him, and he is unaware of it. That was a bad decision, in my opinion.

Gallagher was less forgiving of Robertson’s choice about the Celtic penalty, in which Yang was initially taken down by Alex Cochrane’s challenge. He believed that rather than the other way around, the South Korean was the one impeding Cochrane.

“Strangely, I actually thought it was a foul the other way, but the referee gave it,” Gallagher remarked. It’s difficult for me to see how Cochrane commits a foul while he’s in front. All I can think of is that the referee believes he puts his leg across him when you look at it from that other viewpoint. I don’t know, he might assume he trips him. However, I believe that the Celtics player gets inside Cochrane.”

Gallagher thought the choice to fire Yang shortly after was reasonable. But once more, the panel refused to budge. “I think it’s a red card, but the player is unfortunate,” Gallagher remarked. He truly will win the ball even though he has no idea where the guy is. However, if you stud a player in the face, you will undoubtedly receive a red card.”

However, a gloomy Warnock merely replied, “Harsh. No.

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