Former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov has launched a scathing criticism of referee Georgi Kabakov following a controversial penalty decision during Thursday night’s Europa League defeat to Celta Vigo.
The Hoops were left furious after Callum Osmand appeared to be brought down by Javi Rueda as he raced towards goal during the first half at Celtic Park.
Despite appeals from the Celtic players, Bulgarian official Kabakov waved play on, with VAR deciding against intervening.
The incident sparked an angry reaction from Petrov, who questioned UEFA’s decision to appoint his compatriot for such an important European fixture.
Speaking on TNT Sports at half-time, the former Celtic captain said: “I just don’t know how he (Kabakov) hasn’t seen it. There are a lot of questions about Kabakov as he has only refereed four games in the Bulgarian League and six in the Europa League.
“I don’t know what UEFA are looking into (when they pick referees) but you need to have the consistency to make a decision.
“(The foul) is probably outside the box but can they even look at it being a red card? Osmand is going through and I think it’s a really, really poor decision.”
Petrov was not alone in his frustration, with former Celtic manager Neil Lennon equally baffled by the decision.
Lennon, who was on commentary duty for the broadcaster, insisted there was clear contact on Osmand and questioned why the officials had allowed play to continue.
He said: “That is beyond me that (why it’s not a penalty). It’s either a foul outside the box or a penalty.
“Why does he (Osmand) go down? He doesn’t need to. He is going straight into the box and there is definitely contact, we can see it from up here in the gantry. I don’t know what the referee is seeing. Any touch at all can bring you down sometimes as you lose balance.”
Hearts defender Craig Halkett, who was also part of the punditry team, agreed that Celtic had been unfortunate not to receive a decision in their favour.
Halkett added: “He (the defender) was obviously trying to put Osmand off but I think there was more than a little bit of contact there.
“You can see the push when Osmand is running through on goal. He has no other reason to go down so I think the defender is really lucky to get away with that.”
HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…
Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, both published on 4th September 2026 by Celtic Star Books. Click on image to order.
Quick Tip –Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!