Former referee Bobby Madden gives verdict on Celtic’s disallowed goal

Former referee Bobby Madden has backed the officials’ decision to disallow Haissem Hassan’s goal during Celtic’s 1-0 victory over St Johnstone, explaining why VAR could not overturn the call.

Celtic appeared to have taken the lead at McDiarmid Park when Hassan finished the move and put the ball in the net. However, the assistant referee ruled that the ball had already crossed the touchline earlier in the attack.

There was immediate controversy, with replays appearing to raise doubts over whether the entire ball had actually gone out of play. VAR reviewed the incident, but the available footage did not provide a clear enough view of the ball throughout the crucial moment.

Madden has now explained that the assistant referee followed the correct procedure by allowing the attack to continue before making the call once the move had ended.

Writing on Instagram, the former referee said the situation had to be assessed in line with VAR protocol. He explained that officials would normally check the goal-line camera to determine whether the ball had crossed the line, but in this case the ball was out of the camera’s view for around 1.19 seconds.

Because VAR could not track the ball continuously during that period, there was no conclusive evidence showing that the assistant referee had made a mistake.

Madden’s view is that although supporters may believe the ball stayed in play, the assistant referee was in the best position to judge what happened and had followed the correct procedure before raising his flag.

His explanation effectively supports the on-field decision and clarifies why VAR was unable to intervene despite the controversy surrounding the Celtic goal.

The decision is likely to remain a talking point among Celtic supporters, particularly given how close the incident appeared to be when viewed on the available replays.