TALKING CELTIC
BRENDAN Rodgers has slammed Scottish referees for not punishing challenges that ‘threaten the lives and careers’ of players on the back of Sunday’s Hampden howler.
Whistler Steven McLean has come under scrutiny for his handling of the Betfred Cup semi-final between Rangers and Motherwell as the game descended into chaos in the second half.
Rangers centre-half Fabio Cardoso went off with a broken nose after an unpunished collision with Ryan Bowman, while no red was produced when Louis Moult and Bruno Alves clashed in a heated tangle that saw the Portuguese aim a boot at the Well hero with the Steelmen holding on to a 2-0 lead.
Rodgers’ Celtic will face Motherwell in next month’s showpiece as a result of their 4-2 win over Hibs on Saturday, and the Parkhead boss has voiced his concern at a lack of authority failing to clamp down on dangerous play.
He said: “With Sunday’s game, what you are looking at is authority. You want officials with authority.
“They may not always get decisions right but don’t just let the game go and hope the players officiate it. That was a dangerous game on Sunday.
“You are endangering players’ lives and careers with some of the challenges we saw.
“That’s not the first time. It’s been ongoing. I can see why Pedro [Caixinha, the Rangers manager who was sent to the stand] would have been annoyed.
“Then it got out of control at the end, because players – known professionals – were trying to avenge things.
“That’s a prestigious game, the League Cup semi-final on TV with kids watching, and it’s not what you want to see.”
Rodgers’ Rd ’ concern over h how tightly games being officiated is nothing new. Only last season in the Scottish Cup Final Kieran Tierney was taken off after being clattered by Aberdeen’s Jayden Stockley, another collision which did not receive a red card from referee Bobby Madden.
Tierney was also on the receiving end of a late challenge himself from Bowman when Motherwell came to Parkhead last season.
“You saw Kieran Tierney in the Scottish Cup Final and it wasn’t even a foul. You saw it up at Pittodrie with the same player against him, the boy Stockley,” said the Celtic manager.
“It’s either officials who unfortunately don’t have an eye for the game, don’t have a feel for the real details of the game, or who are frightened to make a decision.
“There is retrospective action available in Scotland, so in situations like this you have to look at it. The centre-half [Cardoso] came off the pitch on Sunday – if he’d been shot, he wouldn’t have looked worse. It was unbelievable.”
He added: “I tend to think the referees here do their very, very best. The problem now is the consequence. The officials here are not full-time and that’s not to say they are not as caring, or anything like that.
“They don’t have the finances up here to pay them full-time, but that doesn’t mean that in their own mind they aren’t.
“It’s about authority. In games like Sunday, you need a strong referee, linesmen and fourth official as a team. That game was let out of control.
“Steven McLean is a fit guy. The guys in our game on Saturday, Kevin [Clancy] and his officials, were doing their best. But they are showpiece games.
“We talk about players being calm under pressure. It’s about ensuring the officials get that support as well, because these are big games with big decisions. How that game on Sunday ended up with 11 against 11 11, I will never know.”
WHILE Rangers are left to complain about Motherwell’s competitiveness in Sunday’s semi-final, Rodgers insists that despite the physicality shown by Stephen Robinson’s men, there is no fear about the prospect of playing the Fir Park club next month.
The two will come together three times in a row in domestic action, with the first meeting being in the Hampden finale.
And while the Celtic boss ac- knowledges Well forward Bowman has previously irked him with his challenge on Tierney back in February, the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the Steelmen is not a worry.
“The same player tackled Kieran last season,” he said. “It’s authority. As an official, you can’t be affected in any way. You have to be concise.
“When you have good players wanting to win, you need to be clear in your judgment. There was an incident where Bruno Alves didn’t even get spoken to. The referee was four yards away.
“That shows officials were a affected in the game. What you w will have in the final is two tota tally contrasting styles of fo football. That’s pretty clear.
“We are not worried about th that. We have gone away to A Aberdeen, tough games, when th they were direct and we’ve shown h we can defend.
“For me, it’s about players’ welfare. If you are endangering an opponent, his career – the players up here are not on multi-million pound deals.
“So if they are out with head injuries or broken legs because games have been allowed to get out of control, then that’s not good for Scottish football.”