Six elite referees in unanimous verdict over disallowed Rangers goal vs Celtic

Six elite referees agreed that Abdallah Sima’s goal for Rangers against Celtic was appropriately called off.

Former whistleblower Bobby Madden shared his perspective on the incident in the aftermath. Gers dominated the second half of Saturday’s Scottish Cup final and appeared to have taken the lead with Sima’s goal.

James Tavernier’s set-piece pass caught Joe Hart and the Hoops defense off guard, resulting in a goal for the striker at the back post. However, replays revealed Raskin may have shoved the goalkeeper, prompting VAR to ask John Beaton for another look. He proceeded to rule out the goal.

Madden has liked discussing choices online since his retirement, and this was no exception. He stated, “This goal is correctly disallowed following and on-field review.” With so much going on at corners, match officials find it nearly hard to detect these offenses in real time, which is why VAR was implemented.

“There has been a lot of controversy about why a heavier push was not awarded earlier in the game for an incident just outside the penalty area. It was not noticed on the field of play; if it had been inside the penalty area, VAR would have undoubtedly intervened. That incident does not exclude you from punishing this very clear push; two wrongs do not constitute a right.

“You just cannot stand behind the goalkeeper and push them as they jump to play the ball. You may argue all day about whether the goalkeeper would have played the ball; he only missed it by a few centimetres. What cannot be debated is that the push has an effect on the goalie, which the VAR cannot ignore when they have such a clear image.”

Some have believed that Raskin was fouled before pushing Hart, with Greg Taylor paying close attention. But Madden dismissed it, claiming that six senior referees he interviewed agreed.

He went on to say, “There are many issues about Raskin being held before the push on Hart. Come on. Almost every set piece has some sort of “holding” going on. I’m sure if you investigated that situation, you’d find several offenses. You can only punish offenses that obviously affect an opponent who is vying for the ball.

“I do not believe the first contact constituted a foul, but the ball was not in play and thus could not be punished. Following the push, there is more that is irrelevant and insufficient to constitute a foul. I showed that footage to six professional European referees, and they all said there was a foul on the goalkeeper and the goal should be disallowed.

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