Chris Sutton has taken aim at the officials after Celtic were denied a crucial equaliser in their 2-0 loss to Braga on Thursday night, calling the VAR decision to disallow Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal “shocking”.
The Nigerian forward thought he had brought Celtic level in the second half, latching onto a loose ball after a defensive error and slotting past the goalkeeper with composure. As he wheeled away to celebrate, Celtic Park erupted, only for the atmosphere to be cut short as the referee signalled for a VAR check.
What followed was a lengthy delay, confusion in the stands, and ultimately fury when the goal was ruled out for handball. Replays showed the ball ricochet off Iheanacho during a challenge with a sliding defender. It appeared to bounce up onto his head and back down again, with some suggestion it may have brushed his shoulder, but no clear contact with the hand or arm was visible.
Supporters inside the ground were baffled, and many remain unconvinced by the call. Sutton didn’t hold back in his reaction in the Daily Record:
“The disallowed goal was shocking. It might be the worst VAR decision I’ve ever seen and Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal should have stood.
“Would it have changed the game? Quite possibly.
“Celtic were on top at that stage and going level would have built on the momentum and they could have gone on to win the game.”
Celtic had been growing into the game at that point, and the decision unquestionably shifted the momentum. Brendan Rodgers’ side continued to push but couldn’t find a breakthrough, and were ultimately punished when Braga grabbed a second in the closing stages.
It’s yet another VAR controversy for Celtic in European competition and one that may linger long in the memory if the group campaign doesn’t recover.
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2 responses
Corruption and cheating. Simple. Don’t look any further for an explanation.
100% correct. Check the ref and var officials bank accounts for recent payments.