Rodgers expresses frustration over VAR decision following Celtic red card in Atletico Loss

Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, likened modern football to a “video game” after he believed Daizen Maeda received an undeserved red card following a VAR review in Celtic’s 6-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

Initially, the Japanese forward was shown a yellow card for a 50-50 challenge with Atletico’s Mario Hermoso. However, after consultation with the pitch-side monitor prompted by the animated Atletico bench, referee Davide Massa upgraded the card to red.

Rodgers stated that he thought the official’s decision in real-time was correct. The match was tied at 1-0, and Maeda’s expulsion in the 26th minute became a pivotal moment, allowing Atletico to ruthlessly exploit Celtic’s 10 players in the second half. Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata each scored twice, and Samuel Lino and Saul Niguez completed the lopsided scoreline.

Rodgers expressed his frustration with the increasing number of major decisions influenced by off-field officials, emphasizing that it’s not the technology itself but how it’s applied. He argued that the frequent stoppages have fundamentally transformed the nature of the sport.

Celtic’s heavy defeat leaves them at the bottom of Group E with only 1 point. However, their qualification for the Europa League is still possible if they win against Lazio and Feyenoord in their remaining matches, provided other results favor them.