Bobby Madden: Celtic manager should have been sent off

Even though Celtic defeated Aberdeen 6-0 in the League Cup semi-final, Brendan Rodgers was unexpectedly in the spotlight for a brief moment that had little to do with his team’s outstanding performance.
The Celtic manager’s emotions overcame him after a run of wasteful play, which led to a slight accident on the touchline and an unexpected yellow card.

Before halftime, his team was ahead by three goals, and Rodgers was clearly getting frustrated by some sloppy play. When a wayward ball rolled his way, he lost patience and tried to kick it hard back onto the field, but it went horribly wrong. As the Northern Irishman struggled to gather himself, Rodgers tripped and fell to the ground after misjudging his balance on the slippery Hampden touchline.

Rodgers’ interference prevented Aberdeen from taking a swift throw-in, and the referee lost no time in issuing a yellow card to make matters worse. Bobby Madden, a former Scottish referee, expressed on social media that he thought Rodgers was actually given a moderate sentence. Madden claims that when a manager purposefully tampers with play to slow down the opponent, the rulebook theoretically stipulates that the player would be sent off.

Madden Explains on the letter of the law

Madden commented on Instagram, stating, “The referee should be praised in this instance as you see the ball leave the field of play for a throw-in to Aberdeen and the Celtic manager clearly kicks the ball away, delaying the restart for his opponent. The laws are very clear that this should be a red card, but the referee showed common sense and only issued a yellow card. Common sense prevails.”

Despite the brief moment, Rodgers didn’t let it spoil the mood after the match. When asked about the booking in his post-match press conference, the Hoops boss was in a humorous mood. Laughing off the situation, he told SunSport, “To be fair, it was well deserved. I was frustrated at us losing the ball, but I shouldn’t be kicking it there. It was a bit slippy on the surface, but I bounced up quickly after falling—probably through embarrassment!”