Celtic’s win against Rangers is still being examined for refereeing errors.
Referee discourse has dominated discussion in the week since the game, which was won 3-1 by Martin O’Neill’s side to set up a final against St Mirren.
Auston Trusty’s incident with Jack Butland has not settled well with the Ibrox side, who believe he should’ve been sent off.
For the Hoops, Anthony Ralston’s ‘handball’ offence was the main frustration, which saw a penalty given despite his hand clearly being against his body.
But one incident that hasn’t been spoken about as much is Reo Hatate in extra time, who was clumsily knocked over by Mikey Moore in the box… this has barely resurfaced since.
Hugh Keevins exposed for ‘glossing over’ Reo Hatate incident in Celtic vs Rangers
Given the clamour over the Trusty incident, it’s certainly fascinating that an incident which saw a very credible penalty offence denied has not been spoken about as much.
You wonder if this has anything to do with the result…
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Hugh Keevins has been one of many in the media to discuss the referee errors, framing the narrative after the game.
But on Clyde Superscoreboard on Friday, caller Liam said that Keevins had ‘glossed over’ the Hatate incident, as well as the Cornelius tackle, because he ‘didn’t want to’ discuss them.
Presenter Gordon Duncan admitted: “To me, that [Hatate] one has gone under the radar, a wee bit. Even if you go back to the TV coverage, because that’s where all this is always going to stem from. Whatever you see the most replays of is the one that stays most in the consciousness.
“And I’ll tell you something, Liam, Hugh Keevins is watching me with a squint in his face, which suggests that he’s got no idea what you’re on about.”
Keevins eventually said: “The aftermath of an Old Firm game, you get all manner of complaints, and now I recall.
“At the time, I thought, ‘looks like a penalty to me.’ So you go over, and over, and over.'” With Keevins reluctant to speak about it at any great length, the conversation moved on.
Disproportionate coverage of Reo Hatate incident from Celtic vs Rangers
The SFA’s KMI panel released its most recent review this weekend, and it didn’t even mention the Hatate incident.
Given that the panel’s name literally stands for ‘Key Match Incident’, the decision not to cover a penalty claim in a League Cup semi-final seems bizarre.
Instead, Rangers’ statement from after the game has made it clear that they are not going to take defeat lightly, instead making scathing comments about match officials.
The lack of discussion around Hatate’s incident is reflective of Celtic’s priorities at the minute – they won the game, then moved on.
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