Two crucial refereeing errors cost Celtic £9m in Champions League earnings

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The Celtic Star

·20 February 2025

Two crucial refereeing errors cost Celtic £9m in Champions League earnings

Celtic were on the receiving end of another heartbreak in European competition this week, when we went out of the Champions League play-off to an Alphonso Davies equaliser – which was virtually the last kick of the game…

Celtic players pose for a photo on pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

It was so cruel that even the Celtic captain Callum McGregor felt emotional afterwards, as he knew how well his team had performed in the Allianz Arena. This Celtic team certainly restored some pride at this elite level in Munich, after a campaign that was all about credibility, as Brendan Rodgers alluded to post-match in Germany.

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After a 7-1 humbling experience in Dortmund in the second fixture of the league phase, in a revamped version of the tournament, few enthusiasts of online sports betting would have given Celtic much chance of making it through the group stages, far less run Bayern Munich all the way to the final ten seconds of the play-off tie.

Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Celtic recovered brilliantly after what happened in Dortmund

After what happened in Dortmund, Celtic had to regain momentum and show that they wouldn’t be defined by that result and that is exactly what they have achieved in a campaign that they can all be immensely proud of.

Brendan’s side certainly did that after beating RB Leipzig and getting great results against Atalanta and Club Brugge – who put the former out of the competition this week. That fight back in England against Aston Villa also convinced many that this Celtic team is an emerging force, as many before would have capitulated in the heat of the moment after going 2-0 down inside five minutes away from home in Europe.

Celtic showed that they are a very decent outfit

Over the piece against Bayern Munich too, Celtic showed that they are a very decent outfit and the goalscorer for Bayern on Tuesday, Alphonso Davies, reckons his team came up against a very good Celtic side.

Spanish Referee Jesus Gil Manzano was called to the screen by VAR at Celtic Park to review the stamp on Arne Engels’ foot – image shown below. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“It’s the Champions League, we played against a good Celtic side,” he said to Amazon Prime afterwards. “We knew they’d play with intensity so we had to match that. This is football. The scoreline is what it is. The most important thing is that we advanced. It’s not easy with so many games. I think we defended well apart from one mishap at the back – overall the most important thing today was to advance.”

No penalty to Celtic for this foot stamp on Arne Engels

Celtic scored in the first 26 seconds of the tie in the first leg at Celtic Park only for a harsh offside call to rule out Nicolas Kuhn’s sensational strike. Then Celtic were denied a penalty when Arne Engels had his foot stamped but despite the referee being called to monitor no penalty was given.

French Referee Benoit Bastien waved play in in the closing seconds in Munich despite Daizen Maeda receiving a head-knock after being elbowed across the face. Incident is show below. Bayern scored seconds later. PHOTO Mladen Lackovic LakoPress

Daizen Maeda elbowed in the face, head knock? Free kick? Red Card review? VAR check? Nothing…

Then in the second leg in Munich’s Allianz Arena, with seconds remaining Celtic forward Daizen Maeda received an elbow in the face which knocked the Japanese striker to the floor. The play should have been stopped for a head-knock even if the referee didn’t believe that the elbow incident was not a foul. It could have been a VAR review for a red card and it should have been a free-kick to Celtic, yet with literally ten seconds of the match remaining Bayern substitute Alphonso Davies ‘tackled’ the ball into the Celtic net.

Fine margins. Celtic were magnificent but got harshly treated in both ties by the UEFA match officials and one or both ended up costing Celtic around £9m in additional revenue for reaching the Champions League round of 16. And that’s before gate-money etc.

Paul Gillespie