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“I don’t think it’s a penalty, this is just PURE-ROBBERY by Ref, it baffled me”- Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell was left ‘baffled’ by the inconsistency displayed by referee during his side’s 4-0 loss to Celtic.
Kettlewell was frustrated after Motherwell winger Tawanda Maswanhise received a yellow card for simulation in the first half at Celtic Park, following a challenge by Hyun-jun Yang. While Kettlewell acknowledged that there may not have been enough contact to warrant a penalty, he believed Maswanhise had not dived.
At the other end, Yang was awarded a penalty after referee Hardie judged that contact from Motherwell goalkeeper Aston Oxborough warranted a spot kick. Arne Engels then converted the penalty in the dying moments of the first half, giving Celtic a lead in an otherwise uneventful half. While Kettlewell didn’t blame the officials for his team’s eventual loss, he was disappointed with how the match was officiated.
“Once again, I’m left baffled,” Kettlewell said. “I don’t think it’s a penalty, but it’s definitely not a dive. He’s running at pace, and the Celtic player is close to him. There is some contact, but not enough for a penalty in my opinion. Yet, the referee immediately books him for simulation.”
“I’m really surprised by that. We all saw that it was a close call. Are we asking for a penalty? Naturally, yes, but after that, I didn’t think it was a penalty. However, I definitely don’t think JT dived. It’s incredibly frustrating because it highlights the lack of consistency in decisions, especially compared to the Celtic penalty. I don’t think there’s a clear difference in the amount of contact between the two situations. JT’s wasn’t a penalty, and I think it was an overreaction to give him a yellow card.”
“One thing that left me feeling a bit aggrieved was the way the players were treated. We have a really honest group, and what they found frustrating was the referee’s attitude and communication with them.”
“I’ve said before that if you speak to players properly, you’ll get better responses. There’s less chance of petulance and arguing with the referee. The players felt that the communication had been better this season, but today, it wasn’t quite the same. It’s not about the decisions; it’s about the way conversations are handled. Sometimes we disagree, but it’s important to have a discussion.”
“I can be emotional, and so can the players, but we need to stay level-headed and avoid behaving like kids in school. Referees should communicate clearly, explain their thought process, and players will respect that.”
“As a player, I always appreciated referees who communicated well. That was something we talked about in the dressing room after the match. It’s not about the result, but if we want to improve, communication is key. I think the communication off the pitch with people like Willie Collum has been good, but we still need to improve it on the pitch.”
