Even a week later, that Kelechi Iheanacho handball call is still crazy beyond words.
At the time of the incident, Iheanacho thought he had levelled the scores against Braga, but Celtic would go on to lose their opening Europa League game.
Hopefully, over the course of this league phase, it doesn’t cost the champions of Scotland, especially given that they will want to try and finish in the top eight.
But that call, which some are calling ‘the worst ever’, is still being discussed, and former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher shared an interesting insight.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty ImagesDermot Gallagher on what he was told about Kelechi Iheanacho’s ruled-out goal for Celtic against Braga
What’s interesting here, and it still sounds crazy, is that Gallagher was told the on-field call from the referee, via his assistant, was ‘handball.’
Therefore, the VAR team have to provide ‘evidence’ that wasn’t the case, but according to Gallagher and what he has been told, they couldn’t do so, and the call to rule out the goal stood.
Sitting beside Gallagher on Ref Watch on Sky Sports was former Premier League forward Jay Bothroyd, and he made it clear that it was a baffling call, and ‘I don’t think we are going to see a worse decision than that from VAR.’
Bothroyd: “It’s not one of the worst, I think it’s the worst decisions we have ever seen. Everyone can see that it has hit his head. I don’t understand what VAR has seen here.
“Even when you are looking at Iheanacho. He is standing there like, ‘they are going to give me the goal because it definitely didn’t hit my arm. It hit my head.’ I was completely shocked.”
Gallagher: “I was actually intrigued by this decision. I thought it hit him in the face as well. I made a point of checking the VAR protocol and why it wasn’t overruled.
“I thought an offence has to be committed for it to be given. I was told that, ‘the on-field decision was handball’, which it was; the assistant gave handball to the referee. The referee then disallowed the goal. It was checked by VAR. They tell me that there is no evidence to say he didn’t handle it.
“But that’s the wrong way around, isn’t it?! No, because the referee has made a decision, and you have to prove the referee wrong. There is no evidence to prove him wrong, hence why it stood.”
Bothroyd: “Wouldn’t the evidence, that (would have) proved him wrong, to see that it hit his head? (Dermot and Jay then laugh). That’s the thing, if it hits your head, that’s the evidence it didn’t hit your arm. I don’t think we are going to see a worse decision than that from VAR.”
Celtic’s remaining Europa League matches
Celtic can’t do anything about the Braga match, nor the dropped points in Belgrade for their opening Europa League game.
Yes, Celtic are annoyed at missing out on the Champions League, but they need to make something of this competition.
Some strong teams are fighting for the top prize, and the Hoops need to act together as quickly as possible, or else they will be looking over their shoulder.
vs Sturm Graz (H), October 23vs Midtjylland (A), November 6vs Feyenoord (A), November 27vs Roma (H), December 11vs Bologna (A), January 22vs Utrecht (H), January 29