With questions over the consistency in refereeing decisions this season, Celtic have seen yet another example of inconsistency this afternoon against St Johnstone.
With Daizen Maeda seemingly destined to score, the Japanese winger’s effort was blocked by Luke Robinson, with the ball appearing to strike his arm in a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.
Point blank range etc or not, handball preventing a goal is a pen
Refereeing is criminal#CELSTJ
pic.twitter.com/clLsdwgZ84— Quinny (@Quinny3001) March 16, 2024
Given the decision to award a penalty to Hearts at Tynecastle after the ball accidentally struck Tomoki Iwata, the St Johnstone defender went out of his way to stop Maeda’s effort in a deliberate act.
Despite VAR in place, the decision was no penalty, in yet another confusing decision by Scottish officials who have not covered themselves in glory this season.
Put simply, if the defender doesn’t use his hand to block, Celtic score, and at 0-0, decisions like that could have cost Celtic the win today and ultimately the league title.
On another day, a decision like that would have been the talking point of the game, but with Celtic winning 3-1 in the end, the Hoops will take all the plaudits in a great display, with Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn stealing the headlines.
