You didn’t need slow-motion to see it, Daizen Maeda never touched James Brown. The Celtic winger flew in to press, Brown threw himself to the deck, and referee Don Robertson somehow produced a yellow card.
The replay tells the story. Maeda’s boot doesn’t make any contact, not even a brush. Brown goes down clutching his leg as if he’s been caught, and Robertson instantly guesses. No hesitation, no consultation, just a card pulled from the pocket for something that never happened.
Unbelievable, well not really pic.twitter.com/E8xvZ7R7LZ
— Tam sellic son (@TamseIIicsonIII) November 9, 2025
That’s not good enough at this level. Celtic were in complete control, but a referee guessing on decisions like that changes the tone of the match and piles unnecessary pressure on players. Maeda was left bewildered, and rightly so. You could see from his reaction he knew there was nothing in it.
Robertson’s been around long enough to know better. VAR didn’t intervene, and that’s another problem, if replays clearly show there’s no contact, what’s the point of having the technology? Instead, it’s another moment that leaves players and supporters questioning the standard of officiating in Scotland.
Celtic didn’t need help to win this one, but they could do without being hindered by poor refereeing.
Maeda’s booking was pure guesswork from Robertson, and it’s decisions like that which keep fuelling the debate over accountability for officials in the Scottish game.
Surely Celtic can complain about that, that is just blatant cheating. The SFA must look at these, but the VAR didn’t correct the ref for something he didn’t see.
Never a yellow card and I hope Celtic contact the SFA to appeal that shocking decision it’s just not excitable !
The kilmarnock player should be punished, blatant cheating to get another player booked
Let’s hope Celtic kicks up a stink about this and gets it overturn and the player in question gets penalised for his carry on.