Former referee Dermot Gallagher has defended the controversial decision to disallow Daizen Maeda’s goal against St Johnstone, insisting that VAR made the correct call, despite widespread disagreement from pundits and fans.
The incident, which saw Celtic’s Auston Trusty penalised for a foul on St Johnstone’s Graeme Carey has not got a lot of attention because Celtic went onto win the game 6-0.
Alan Muir, the VAR official, flagged a foul during Maeda’s goal, prompting referee Don Robertson to review the footage and ultimately chalk off the goal. While many have criticised the decision as overly harsh, Gallagher sided with the officials, stating that the infringement was clear.
“I think it’s a brilliant spot by the VAR,” Gallagher told Ref Watch. “When I saw this clip, I thought, ‘Why is he on the floor?’ I didn’t know what happened. You see, he just catches him on the way through, but it’s a foul. The goal is disallowed correctly.”
Gallagher’s view contrasts with the general consensus amongst pundits, many of whom feel the goal should have stood. The incident appeared minor, with Trusty and Carey came together rather than Trusty fouling the St Johnston man, as Maeda found the back of the net. Yet, Gallagher was adamant that any contact, however slight, was enough to justify the decision to overturn the goal.
For Celtic fans, Gallagher’s endorsement of the ruling is likely to stir frustration. The Hoops went on to secure a comfortable victory, but the incident has added to a growing list of VAR controversies involving the club this season.
Despite the VAR drama, Celtic showed their resilience, brushing aside St Johnstone with a commanding performance. Although Maeda’s disallowed goal could have added to their tally, it didn’t change the outcome of the match, with the Bhoys comfortably seeing off their opponents.
Still, the disallowed goal will leave a bitter taste for many fans. With Celtic facing a crucial period in the season, supporters will be hoping these controversies don’t have a more significant impact as the title race intensifies.
