Hackett Exclusive: VAR guessed over Daizen Maeda’s disallowed Celtic goal v Hibs
Celtic star Daizen Maeda had his equaliser against Hibernian disallowed by match officials after a “guess” from match officials, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the decision to disallow Maeda’s equaliser showed the need for an extension of goal line technology.
Celtic went into their tie against Hibs leading Old Firm rivals Rangers by 13 points in the league, however a loss now gives the Bears a chance to put a dent in that lead.
The Hoops drew controversially to Bayern Munich on Tuesday (18 February), and Maeda was seemingly fouled by Dayot Upamecano in the build-up to Alphonso Davies‘ 94th minute tie-winning goal as the Bavarian side won 3-2 on aggregate.
That loss seemed to impact the Bhoys in their match on Saturday (22 February), as Josh Campbell scored twice in the first-half to give Hibs a deserved 2-0 lead going into halftime.
Reo Hatate set-up Maeda to score in the 68th minute, and Celtic looked to have completed their second half fightback as the Japanese forward scored again in the 85th minute, but the strike was ruled out.
Celtic unfortunate that match officials left guessing says ex-PGMOL chief
The Hoops left it late to start their fightback against Hibs, but they seemed to have earned a point late on.
Alistair Johnston whipped a cross in from the by-line, and Maeda managed to poke it past Hibs goalkeeper Jordan Smith.
However, as the Japanese international wheeled away in celebration, his joy was cut short by the untimely intervention of VAR.
Despite lacking the requisite camera angles to conclusively determine if the ball was out or not, Maeda’s goal was disallowed.
Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, former PGMOL chief, Hackett, said: “This is clearly a tight call, but match officials should not guess these decisions. In this one, it is evident that they have.
“It is time that football introduced an extension of goal line technology to cover the entire goal line from corner flag, to corner flag.”
Celtic left ruing poor performance as stars head for the exit
Speaking during Celtic’s loss, Neil Lennon gave his verdict on the futures of Arne Engels and Luke McCowan.
Nicolas Kuhn has been linked with a move to Newcastle, and all three players were disappointing for their side in the 2-1 loss to Hibs.
Such is the nature of Scottish football, that a star can only shine so brightly before it catches the attention of admirers, and Celtic may be forced to cash in on some of their top players.