Bobby Madden has rejected the notion Connor Barron should have seen red at Ibrox against St Mirren – as he chucked out any comparisons to the incident involving Celtic attacker Yang at Tynecastle last season.
The Rangers midfielder escaped without any punishment as he looked to take the ball away from Buddies strike Toyosi Olusanya and spark a counter attack. It was a high tackle with the visiting forward going down and holding his face. But Calum Scott – the man in the middle – allowed play to progress while Greg Aitken on VAR duties opted against a look at the monitor.
Former SFA whistler Des Roache insisted the Rangers man should have been handed his marching orders – but Madden reckons it is NOT a red card with a third camera angle of a clip shared ‘proving’ no contact between the boot and face. He’s also told his followers that the incident involving Barron is ‘absolutely not identical’ to the one with Yang after it was suggested that they are on the same level.
He wrote: “The second clip shows a potential serious foul play. In my opinion this is not a red card offence as there is no evidence of contact between the boot and head/face. Some people may think there is contact, but there is no clear image to support that.
“The third camera angle I think likely proves there is no contact with the boot and the face, but you still can’t be certain. So no intervention the correct approach. For the record, it’s being compared to a challenge at Tynecastle last season, they are absolutely not identical though.
“For one the ball is played in the current clip and there is evidence of contact in the situation last season. I would also add that I believed that should have been a yellow card at the time.
“The level of contact/force didn’t endanger the safety of an opponent. Two wrongs don’t make a right remember.”
Another flashpoint incident from the weekend came at Fir Park involving Daizen Maeda. He was brought down in the box by Stephen O’Donnell with the ball striking his arm and going into the back of the net as part of the motion.
The Celtic attacker received unanimous backing from the BBC Sportscene panel over the weekend with Michael Stewart struggling to figure out why a spot-kick wasn’t awarded. Madden agrees that the incident, in his expert opinion, should have resulted in a penalty.
He added: “Clear and obvious? I personally think this is a penalty. The defender is the “wrong side” and makes no contact with the ball.
“Both players fall to the ground due to contact, in my opinion caused by the defender. Can you say with certainty though?
“The main camera angle makes me believe it’s a penalty, but the two low behind cameras that are provided miss the initial contact, so it’s difficult to recommend an on field review without clear evidence.”