An impassioned Kris Boyd was adamant that Reo Hatate should have been shown a red card for a reckless tackle on a Kilmarnock player during Celtic’s victory at Rugby Park. Despite goals from Callum McGregor and Nicolas Kuhn placing Celtic on the path to victory and a return to the top of the Scottish Premiership, the match was marred by controversy surrounding Hatate’s challenge on Liam Donnelly. Referee Nick Walsh opted to only brandish a yellow card, prompting a lengthy delay as VAR referee Don Robertson considered whether to recommend a pitchside review.
While the VAR system was under scrutiny, football pundits like Chris Sutton voiced their opinion that Hatate was fortunate to escape a red card for the tackle that caught Donnelly high on the leg. Sutton emphasized the potential danger of the challenge and questioned the level of force behind it. Boyd echoed these sentiments, passionately declaring that the tackle warranted a sending-off due to the location of the contact on Donnelly’s shin. The Rangers legend criticized the officiating, blaming both Walsh on the field and Robertson in the VAR room for what he considered to be an incorrect decision.
Boyd further insinuated a sense of bias in the officiating, suggesting that if the situation were reversed and the incident involved a Celtic player, the reaction would have been vastly different. He pointed out the inconsistencies in refereeing decisions and highlighted the perceived leniency shown towards Celtic in this particular instance. In his scathing assessment of the situation, Boyd did not hold back in expressing his frustration with what he deemed to be a glaring error in judgment.
