Celtic news: Hackett slams official as controversial Maeda footage analysed
The corner that led to Daizen Maeda’s goal as Celtic beat Livingston should not have been awarded.
That’s according to ex-FIFA and Premier League referee Keith Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after the Hoops’ first win at the Tony Macaroni Arena since 2007.
In the first half of the Celtic’s win (6 March), Anthony Ralston and Jason Holt challenged to keep the ball in play out by the corner flag.
Ralston tried to cross the ball but the ball struck Holt and went out for a corner from which they scored.
However, Holt appeared to be out of play when the ball struck him.
Hackett insists the assistant referee should have awarded a goal-kick if he wasn’t sure who touched the ball last.
“It’s the Celtic player who has taken the ball out,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“The Livingston player is actually off the pitch when the ball makes contact with him.
“For me, that’s not corner kick. That is not the referee’s decision, it’s the assistant’s.
“I think that is close enough to the assistant for him to make a reasonable judgement.
“Let me tell you, if you are in doubt as an assistant, you give a goal kick.
“That is the route referees should take and it would have been wise for them to apply that in this scenario.”
Celtic beat Livingston 3-1 thanks to a Nicky Devlin own goal along with strikes from Maeda and James Forrest.
They are next in action against Dundee United in the Scottish Cup on Monday (14 March).
In other news, Celtic ‘hero’ tipped to demand new deal by pundit after major development.