Record Sport’s resident referee expert Des Roache has dismissed claims that Kelechi Iheanacho’s decisive goal against Dundee should have been disallowed for a foul.
The Nigerian striker came off the bench to secure a 2-1 victory at Dens Park, cutting Celtic’s deficit to league leaders Hearts to three points. However, Rangers supporters have questioned whether Iheanacho pushed defender Ryan Astley before scoring, arguing the goal should have been chalked off following VAR review.
Roache, speaking on Hotline LIVE, rejected the criticism despite acknowledging that had the on-field decision gone differently, VAR would likely not have intervened. “You look at that still there and it doesn’t look great,” he admitted. “But football’s a physical sport. I’m not jumping in to give a foul there and tellingly, not one Dundee player even looked for a foul while the game was on. That’s not a foul. 100 per cent it’s not a foul.”
The former official explained that VAR operates only to correct clear and obvious errors, making this a matter of interpretation rather than factual correction. “If it’s given as a foul, VAR isn’t going to overrule it. But VAR is only there to comment on clear and obvious errors. So what’s happened there is an opinion, and we share the same opinion.”
Roache noted that Iheanacho’s hesitation before celebrating reflects the current climate of uncertainty around goal decisions. “Iheanacho looking and waiting to see what’s going to happen, that’s a symptom of where we are with VAR; they’re not sure they can celebrate a goal.”
Crucially, no Dundee players appealed for a foul at the time, with Astley, the goalkeeper and surrounding defenders all accepting the physical contact as normal play. Roache concluded: “I’ve got no issue with the decision at all.”