Bobby Madden yesterday admitted that it wasn’t him who gave Alfredo Morelos the red card in last month’s Glasgow derby.
Instead, the senior referee has stated that it was his linesman that made the decision swiftly.
Fans won’t forget images of Douglas Ross screaming “red card, red card, red card” down the microphone to Willie Collum last season as Jozo Simunovic was sent off at Ibrox. But it appears that the linesman at Parkhead did the exact same to see Morelos sent off.
Madden gave an interesting exclusive interview with Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard. He spoke about life as a referee and why he isn’t on social media. But it’s his comments on the last derby at Parkhead that will interest most fans. Here’s what Madden had to say on the incident:
“TV footage shows I had absolutely no view of the incident. Alan was in line with the second last defenders, that’s his responsibility. So I am following the ball up the field of play and I hear a roar, so, naturally, you look round and you see a player on the ground.
“Immediately the communication from Alan was ‘red card, red card, red card’ and that’s why it was dealt with quite as quickly. I think in that environment and under that pressure for Alan to pick up the incident then communicate that so clearly was a real positive.”
Linesmen need to do their bit more often
Too often in football are incidents missed by referees and linesman, even when it’s close to the latter. It sometimes comes across as though they’re scared to be put into the spotlight.
Madden being assisted for the Morelos red card was a rare incident in a linesman taking some responsibility. The same couldn’t be said at Ibrox last December, when Morelos got away with murder on the day.
It also does explain why Madden flashed the red card towards Morelos so quickly. It was a surprise at the time to see Madden, so often the villain of the piece, act so decisively.
If linesmen get involved in the game more often, it will make for a much more efficient system. For example, if the linesman didn’t spot the incident, Madden wouldn’t have dished anything out as he didn’t see it.
The referee would’ve then been vilified post-match for missing such a clear and obvious elbow.
Hopefully, the linesmen are just as sharp next weekend when we take the trip to Ibrox.
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