Don Robertson prevented emotions from boiling over after an off-the-ball incident involving Celtic’s Auston Trusty against Rangers.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the Hoops’ defender was caught “cheating” at Ibrox on Sunday, 8 March.
Just before the hour mark, Trusty went down, writhing in pain after a clash with Youssef Chermiti, only for replays to show very little contact between the pair, with the former accused of exaggerating the incident.
As Robertson attempted to figure out what had happened, a group of players began surrounding the “injured” player, and it was just one controversial moment as Rangers and Celtic faced off at Ibrox.
Auston Trusty in ‘unacceptable’ scenes at Ibrox
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “It’s cheating. It’s an action that nobody wants to see: a player going down to get an opponent sent off. It’s unacceptable.
“It’s excellent refereeing from Robertson, getting straight in at the beginning of a mass confrontation, with the assistant helping. There’s no overreaction.
“But these are the things happening in football that are frankly disgraceful. Let’s have a degree of respect for other players. No football fan wants to see this level of nonsense.
“In fairness to the player accused, he didn’t overreact. Some suddenly think that, if you think I’ve hit you, have one for real.”
What did Martin O’Neill say about the full-time scenes?
Rangers and Celtic could both face punishment, Hackett told Football Insider, after supporters from both sides flooded onto the pitch following the final whistle.
O’Neill and his players were seen taking selfies with the fans after defeating the Gers on penalties to reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals, making the victory even sweeter against their fiercest rivals.
Speaking after the game, the manager said: “It’s a big derby game, and I think there was a lot of jubilation at us winning. The fans spilt over, and I suppose it is very difficult to quell that.
“As we were making our way back, there was some kind of fracas, and someone had tried to get on the field. It’s unfortunate [scenes at the end] but hopefully it doesn’t dilute the performance in terms of character.
The Scottish FA has already stepped in and is expected to launch an investigation into what happened at Ibrox, adding a sour note to what had been an exciting clash between the rivals.