Former top-flight referee Bobby Madden has opened up on three major Old Firm flashpoints and revealed the one decision in his career he wishes he could have handled differently.
Madden's career and Old Firm experience
Madden hung up his whistle in May 2023 after taking charge of more than 1,000 games in Scotland, followed by a brief stint in England's League One and League Two. He spent 19 years refereeing in Scotland and was the man in the middle for nine Glasgow derbies.
The 47-year-old was widely regarded as one of the top referees in the country but was embroiled in several controversies involving Celtic and Rangers.
Controversial penalty decision against Celtic
In March 2017, Madden came under fire for denying Celtic a last-gasp penalty after Leigh Griffiths was brought down by Clint Hill in a 1-1 draw at Parkhead. Hill later confessed he was lucky to escape punishment.
Appearing on the Let Me Be Frank podcast, Madden maintained his stance: “I actually played an advantage at the edge of the penalty area and you're waiting for Leigh to get his shot away. It never comes and Clint Hill comes in and... for me, he gets a touch on the ball and for me, that's enough. I'm not going to give a penalty when there's a touch on the ball. That was how I liked to referee. People might say there was contact with the attacker first. I'm not going to get involved with that.”
Red card for Alfredo Morelos
A couple of years later, Madden dished out a straight red card to Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos after he elbowed Scott Brown in the face. Madden recalled: “Scott Brown had wound him up. It was the assistant referee who informed me because it was behind my back. The assistant referee was brave and said, 'Bob, you're going to have to stop the game and send Morelos off.' Morelos then lost the place and he's trying to run to the assistant and a few of the Celtic players are trying to wind him up. Then you're trying to manage that, so very good intervention from the assistant.”
Ryan Kent incident
Madden also handled the day Ryan Kent decked Scott Brown during a fiery Celtic Park contest, with Kent eventually receiving a retrospective two-game ban. Madden said: “That was after a goal. I think Scott Brown knocks the ball away and Kent pushes him and lashes out. That was Scott getting a reaction. I was on my way over to talk to Neil Lennon at the time and then was happening. This is where VAR helps because it picks up these missed incidents. There's so much going on in these high-profile matches it's impossible to see everything.”
Career regret over promotion
While Madden's bread and butter was Scottish football, he also climbed the ranks with FIFA and took charge of multiple Champions League matches. However, one decision changed his career trajectory for the worse.
He explained: “I started in 2003 and went onto the international list with FIFA in 2010. When you go into FIFA, you start again. I'd gone six years in European competition without one negative mark. Eventually, they were forced to give me Champions League matches. Then they put me on a Barcelona game in Prague. I refereed a Bayern Munich game against Red Star Belgrade. But the last matchday they gave me a match in Krasnodar against Basel in the Europa League. And by all accounts, I could have potentially been promoted to the elite category.
“There was a player on a yellow card and he flicks his hand back. It was the fourth minute of additional time so I just go, yellow, red - off. So I've dealt with it. The observer wanted a straight red card, so I got a negative mark. That negative mark essentially stopped me getting promoted. Funnily enough, they showed the clip on a course and asked for a show of hands, who thinks it's a red? Not one. But that's the one decision I always think had it gone a different way, had I only played three minutes additional time, my refereeing career might've been slightly different which is a wee bit frustrating.”
