Referee Colin Steven has come under fire from a pair of former officials for his handling of the heated clash between Adam Idah and Jack Iredale during Celtic’s 3-1 win over Hibernian on Saturday.
The flashpoint occurred in the second half when Hibs defender Iredale aggressively grabbed Nicolas Kühn, drawing an immediate reaction from Adam Idah, who raced in to confront the Hibs man. With tensions rising and both players squaring up, many expected the referee to step in and defuse the situation.
Instead, footage from the match shows Steven watching the altercation develop, only to inexplicably walk backwards as the confrontation escalated. That decision has drawn sharp criticism from Des Roache and Steve Conroy—both former referees and now hosts of The Ref’s View podcast.
Posting on X the pair said: “We’ve been sent this footage to watch. I’m sorry, but that is very weak refereeing to walk away when a confrontation is occurring. Can’t defend that & won’t.”
Their comments have sparked debate online, with many echoing the view that Steven should have asserted his authority in a key moment. Kuhn and Iredale were eventually yellow carded, the lack of immediate intervention left the situation to simmer and relied on the players themselves to cool things down.
Referees are expected to manage flare-ups decisively, particularly in high-profile matches with intense rivalries and full stadiums. The criticism from Roache and Conroy—who have been outspoken on refereeing standards in Scotland—adds to the scrutiny already facing officials this season.
Rocky should have been sent off as he ran in from yards away and grabbed Khun by the throat.
That wasn’t going to happen. As long as the ref had nothing on the Celtic man, he saw little reason to escalate the situation by flashing cards! Then the only reason Nick got a yellow was to balance it out! Very typically weak refereeing!