Celtic goal controversy erupts as top referee offers candid explanation for VAR decision.

Celtic were involved in a controversial VAR decision during their 1-0 victory over St Johnstone after Haissem Hassan saw a goal ruled out because officials determined that the ball had gone out of play before Sebastian Tounekti’s cross reached him.

The incident has generated debate among supporters and pundits, with questions raised over whether the ball had actually crossed the line. However, former top referee Bobby Madden has strongly defended the match officials and the VAR process, arguing that there was not enough clear evidence available to overturn the original decision.

Celtic believed they should have been awarded the goal after Tounekti delivered a cross that appeared to remain close to the goal line. Kasper Hogh managed to keep the ball in play, according to the Celtic players and staff, before heading it back into the danger area.

Hogh appeared to keep the ball in play(Image: Sky Sports)

Hassan then reacted quickly to turn the ball into the net.

The assistant referee initially ruled that the ball had gone out of play. That decision meant Hassan’s effort was correctly disallowed on the field before the incident was referred for a VAR review.

The subsequent examination was unable to establish conclusively that the assistant referee had made an error.

The controversy centred on the available goal-line footage. Celtic were convinced that Hogh had prevented Tounekti’s delivery from completely crossing the line and had therefore kept the ball in play.

However, the camera angle available to VAR did not provide uninterrupted evidence of what happened to the ball.

According to Madden, the footage showed that the ball disappeared from the relevant camera view for precisely 1.19 seconds. That meant VAR officials could not follow its entire movement and could not establish with certainty whether the ball had crossed the line during the period when it was obscured.

Madden therefore believes there was no basis for VAR to overturn the assistant referee’s original decision.

The incident has nevertheless prompted plenty of discussion, particularly because pundits Kris Boyd and Andy Halliday both expressed the view that the ball had probably remained in play.

Their assessment added to the frustration among Celtic supporters, who felt the champions had potentially been denied a legitimate goal.

Despite those concerns, Madden has insisted that the officials followed the correct procedure throughout the incident.

Writing on social media, the former referee explained that the assistant referee was right to delay his flag rather than immediately stopping the attack.

Madden compared the procedure to how officials deal with potential offside situations. When there is uncertainty, the assistant referee allows the attacking move to continue before making the final signal once the phase of play has been completed.

In this case, the assistant allowed Hassan to finish the move before raising the flag and indicating that the ball had already gone out of play.

VAR then had the responsibility of checking the decision and determining whether there was sufficient evidence to prove that the on-field official had made a clear mistake.

The crucial issue was the lack of continuous footage.

Celtic were denied a second goal by the assistant referee

Madden pointed specifically to the goal-line camera, which would normally be one of the most useful sources of evidence in determining whether a ball has crossed a boundary.

However, the camera did not maintain a clear view of the ball throughout the crucial moment.

The ball was temporarily removed from the camera’s frame for 1.19 seconds. Because there was no way for the VAR team to track its movement during that entire period, officials could not conclusively establish what happened.

As a result, the original decision had to stand.

Madden’s explanation has offered a strong defence of both the assistant referee and the VAR team. He acknowledged that viewers may have their own opinions about whether the ball went out of play, but argued that personal belief is not enough to overturn an on-field decision.

In his assessment, the assistant referee was in the best position to judge the incident at the time.

Madden argued that the official had followed the established VAR protocol and had allowed the attack to develop before making the decision once the play had been completed.

From a refereeing perspective, Madden therefore believes the outcome was correct.

The debate is likely to continue because the incident remains difficult to settle without definitive goal-line footage.

For Celtic, the frustration will be that they were unable to use the VAR system to overturn the decision despite having strong grounds to believe that Hogh had kept the ball in play.

The Hoops ultimately secured a 1-0 victory, meaning the disallowed goal did not prevent them from taking all three points. Nevertheless, the incident has raised questions about the limitations of VAR when camera footage fails to provide a complete picture.

The situation demonstrates that VAR cannot always provide the definitive answer supporters expect. While the technology can review incidents from multiple angles, its effectiveness depends heavily on the quality and continuity of the footage available.

In this particular case, the missing 1.19 seconds proved decisive.

Celtic supporters may remain convinced that the ball stayed in play, while the opinions of Boyd and Halliday will continue to fuel the argument.

However, Madden’s position is clear: there was no conclusive evidence that the assistant referee had made an incorrect call.

With the available footage unable to track the ball throughout the crucial moment, VAR could not justify overturning the decision.

For Madden, the officials therefore followed the correct process, and the disallowed Celtic goal was the appropriate outcome under the existing VAR protocols.