Celtic offside call deemed 'harsh' on Kilmarnock as Stuart Findlay control aspect sparks Sportscene debate

The decision not to flag Reo Hatate offside in the build up to Celtic's second goal against Kilmarnock was deemed "harsh," but technically correct by the Sportscene panel.

Derek McInnes took issue with the VAR lines drawn on the still image that showed Hatate to be ahead of Killie defence. But Stuart Findlay's intervention meant that the goal stood. The debate in the studio centered around whether the Ayrshire side's defender was "in control: when he he just managed to get something on the ball in an attempt to block it.."

VAR said yes, and Luis Palma's smart finish was allowed to stand, much to McInnes' annoyance. Pundit James McFadden can see why he was less than pleased, but feels the interpretation of the law was perhaps a bit harsh on Findlay. He said: "When the ball is played inside, I think it's for Maeda but it looks like it's for Hatate - who is in an offside position, or certainly looks to be. Stuart Findlay goes back in and the referee and VAR deem that to be a deliberate play or deliberate action.

"This is the rules now. It doesn't matter if someone's offside; if they're not making a challenge for the ball, they're not active.

"Stuart Findlay goes to clear it and VAR has deemed that he's in control of the situation there. Whether it rebounds off someone else, I think it's harsh, because I don't know how much control he has. I think he's trying to get back into an area.

"He spots Hatate and sees Maeda outside him. He just gets whatever he can on it and it should be that he's in control of the action. I don't know how much control he has at that points so I feel that's a harsh one."

Neil McCann backed faddy up, saying: "He is (in an offside position). We were debating, even after sitting watching it one more