Former Celtic captain Tom Boyd has said that Motherwell’s Bevis Mugabi got away with a ‘horrendous’ challenge against the Hoops at the weekend.
The lowdown
David Turnbull was left in need of treatment after the tackle from centre-half Mugabi early in the second half of Celtic’s 2-0 win at Fir Park on Saturday.
The Motherwell defender escaped any form of punishment for the challenge, although he received a yellow card for a separate incident in stoppage time.
Turnbull had put Celtic two goals to the good after Filipe Jota’s opener and was able to complete the 90 minutes.
The latest
Boyd, who was on co-commentary duty for Celtic TV, was furious that Mugabi wasn’t shown a red card, and he believes there’s a pattern of referees failing to protect Hoops players.
“That is a red card,” he said, as quoted by 67 Hail Hail. “It is a red card. It’s horrendous, coming through.
“It’s the follow-through that he’s done. I think he’s got a bit of the ball but he’s come through and followed through and done Turnbull.
“And once again a player gets a free hit at us by referees not doing their duty of care to players that are wearing green and white hoops.”
The verdict
If Boyd’s fearful claim is justified, then it’s a concern for Celtic going forward. Without adequate punishment, there may not be that deterrent in place to prevent reckless challenges from opponents.
Turnbull may have emerged unscathed at the weekend, but in future there’s perhaps a risk of serious injury.
It should be said that no Celtic player features in the top 35 most-fouled players in the Premiership, but it’s less an issue of frequency and more of force.
In other news, Kieran Devlin has revealed the return timeline for this key duo.
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