Daizen Maeda Celtic ‘offside’ goal vs Hearts clarified as expert shuts down ‘ignorant’ fans with basic rule
The Hoops’ were awarded the crucial goal late on following VAR intervention
16:09, 16 May 2026Updated 18:12, 16 May 2026
The angle of the offside VAR decision shown by Sky Sports
The decision to overturn the offside ruling against Daizen Maeda for Celtic as they saw off Hearts has been clarified.
With five minutes remaining on the clock, Maeda slotted the ball into the net to break Jambos’ hearts – but David Roome’s offside flag went up to give the visitors some hope.
However, Kevin Clancy in the VAR room drew the lines and judged that there had been no offside in the build-up to give the goal to Celtic.
Sky Sports showed the angle which appeared to show goalscorer Maeda in an offside position when Marcelo Saracchi played the ball down the left flank in the build-up.
However, despite the image gathering traction on social media – it was Callum Osmand who the ball was slipped to before he pulled the ball back to Maeda in the centre of the box.
Osmand – who later scored to round off the 3-1 victory and seal the title with the last kick of the ball – was onside at the time.
Callum Osmand (circled) is the player who receives the ball
Referees Steve Conroy and Des Roache heaped praise on referee Don Robertson and the match officials following the game.
Posting on The Ref’s View podcast X account, they stated: “Congratulations to Celtic on winning the title. Commiserations to Hearts on a very valiant effort.
“Very good performance from Don and his team today, under massive pressure. They got the big calls right and kept control. Absolutely despicable scenes at the end of the game.”
Responding to punters who noted the controversial angle, the referees said: “He is not interfering with play as the ball was not passed to him.
“That, sadly, shows your ignorance of the Laws of The Game. Basic.”
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