Former referee delivers judgment on Celtic player’s ‘reckless’ tackle against Rangers.

Former Scottish referee Bobby Madden has given his assessment of the controversial challenge involving Celtic midfielder Mika Baur during the Old Firm clash with Rangers, insisting that the German was fortunate to escape punishment but did not commit an offence worthy of a red card.

Rangers produced a commanding performance at Ibrox to beat Celtic 3-0, but the match could potentially have taken a different course had Baur been dismissed following a challenge on Ryan Naderi.

Mika Baur’s tackle on Ryan Naderi (Image: Sky Sports)

The Celtic midfielder caught the Rangers player with his studs around the shin area during the incident, leading to widespread debate after the final whistle.

Despite the nature of the contact, the referee on the day awarded a foul against Naderi rather than Baur, meaning Celtic were given the free-kick.

That decision has attracted significant attention, with many observers arguing that Baur should have been shown a red card.

Madden, however, has reached a different conclusion.

Madden Says Yellow Card Was Appropriate

Speaking on his So Near, Yet So VAR podcast, Madden acknowledged that Celtic benefited from the initial decision because the free-kick should have gone to Rangers.

However, he does not believe the challenge met the threshold required for a sending-off.

According to Madden, the correct punishment would have been a yellow card for reckless play rather than a red card for serious foul play.

The former official explained that the circumstances leading to the contact were important when assessing the challenge.

He pointed out that Naderi appeared to lose his balance and slip slightly before the ball moved behind his leg. Baur then attempted to challenge for possession, but because of Naderi’s movement, the Celtic player’s contact ended up being higher on the leg.

That sequence of events, Madden argued, needs to be considered rather than simply looking at a photograph showing where the studs made contact.

Serious Foul Play Criteria Important

Madden explained that referees must consider several factors before deciding whether a challenge constitutes serious foul play.

He highlighted elements including the speed of the challenge, its intensity, the amount of force involved, whether there was any malicious intent and whether the opponent’s safety was placed in danger.

While acknowledging that contact high up the leg can sometimes result in a red card, he stressed that the location of the contact alone does not automatically make a challenge worthy of dismissal.

In Baur’s case, Madden believes the wider circumstances did not justify a red card.

The contact was made on Naderi’s shin, which is certainly an area that can raise concerns when studs are involved. However, Madden argued that there was no evidence of malicious intent and that the challenge did not endanger Naderi’s safety to the degree required for serious foul play.

As a result, he considered a yellow card to be the appropriate decision.

Free-Kick Decision Was Wrong

While Madden defended Baur against the calls for a red card, he was clear that another part of the original decision was incorrect.

He said the first thing that should have caused frustration was the fact that Celtic were awarded the free-kick.

In his view, the challenge should have been penalised against Baur, meaning Rangers should have received the set-piece.

Therefore, Madden’s assessment is that two elements of the incident need to be separated.

The foul should have been awarded to Rangers, but the Celtic midfielder should not have been sent off.

That distinction is important because the incident has been widely discussed as though the only possible choices were no punishment or a red card.

Madden believes there was a third and more appropriate option: a foul against Baur and a yellow card.

Still Images Can Be Misleading

Another key point raised by Madden was the danger of judging challenges solely from still photographs.

Images showing the moment of contact can make a challenge appear considerably more serious because they freeze the action at the precise point when the studs meet an opponent’s leg.

However, refereeing decisions are based on the entire sequence rather than one isolated frame.

Madden argued that still images are useful for identifying exactly where contact occurred, but they cannot provide the complete context required to determine whether an offence reaches the level of serious foul play.

In Baur’s case, the former referee believes the video evidence shows that the circumstances leading to the contact were significant.

Naderi’s loss of balance caused the ball to move behind his leg, changing the nature of the challenge.

Attempt to Play the Ball

Madden also highlighted Baur’s apparent attempt to win the ball.

He believes the Celtic midfielder entered the challenge with an intention to play the ball rather than deliberately target Naderi.

That does not mean the challenge was completely acceptable.

Madden still considers it reckless and believes Baur showed disregard for the potential consequences of the challenge, which is why he feels a booking was justified.

However, the presence of an attempt to play the ball, combined with Naderi’s slip and the lack of malicious intent, meant that Madden did not believe the criteria for a red card had been satisfied.

The former referee therefore rejected the argument that contact with the shin automatically meant Baur should have been dismissed.

Celtic Benefited From a Poor Decision

The incident has become one of the talking points from a disappointing afternoon for Celtic.

Rangers controlled the match at Ibrox and eventually secured a comprehensive 3-0 victory.

Had Baur been sent off, the game could have developed differently, although it is impossible to know how the contest would have unfolded with Celtic reduced to ten players.

What is clearer from Madden’s assessment is that Celtic benefited from the wrong free-kick decision, but he does not believe they benefited from a decision that should have resulted in a red card being avoided.

His conclusion is that Baur committed a reckless challenge deserving of a yellow card, while Rangers should have received the free-kick.

The incident is therefore likely to remain a talking point among supporters, particularly given the intensity and importance of an Old Firm fixture.

Nevertheless, Madden’s interpretation provides a detailed explanation of why he believes the challenge fell short of the threshold for serious foul play and why the incident should have resulted in a booking rather than a dismissal.