{"id":25982,"date":"2026-04-06T20:27:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/04\/06\/ex-pgmol-chief-and-fifa-referee-backs-mcleans-back-pass-call-do-celtics-title-charge-deserve-more-credit\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T20:27:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:27:44","slug":"ex-pgmol-chief-and-fifa-referee-backs-mcleans-back-pass-call-do-celtics-title-charge-deserve-more-credit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/04\/06\/ex-pgmol-chief-and-fifa-referee-backs-mcleans-back-pass-call-do-celtics-title-charge-deserve-more-credit\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex PGMOL Chief And FIFA Referee Backs McLean\u2019s Back-Pass Call: Do Celtic\u2019s Title Charge Deserve More Credit?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Celtic secured a gritty 2-1 win over Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday, April 5, in a matchday 32 clash that carried massive importance for the title race. As expected with such high stakes, a few refereeing calls sparked heated debate after the whistle. The loudest complaints from the Dundee camp centred on a back-pass incident that wasn\u2019t given.<\/p>\n

However, former PGMOL chief and FIFA referee Keith Hackett,<\/a> now 81, fully supported Steven McLean\u2019s decision in an exclusive chat with Football Insider. Hackett explained that because the ball hit an attacking player before getting to the keeper, the back-pass rule just didn\u2019t apply. He also noted that VAR likely helped McLean get it right, describing the officiating as sensible and the final call as \u201coutstanding.\u201d Given Hackett\u2019s history, refereeing the 1981 FA Cup Final and leading England\u2019s match officials,\u00a0his take carries serious weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hit the attacking player, hasn\u2019t it? At first, I was looking at whether the ball had come off the body. I\u2019ve seen screams for all sorts. \u201cIt\u2019s only a back-pass if it\u2019s off the boot. On this occasion, it\u2019s come off the opponent, and as a result, it negates the decision. That\u2019s why the referee hasn\u2019t given it. \u201cTo be honest, that\u2019s an outstanding decision from the match official. VAR might have whispered in his ear as well. It\u2019s sensible officiating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do Celtic\u2019s Title Charge Deserve More Credit?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Celtic\"
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND \u2013 MAY 13: Referee Steven McLean looks on during the Cinch Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium on May 13, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With six games left, Celtic<\/a> are trailing league leaders Hearts by three points, meaning every single result is a pressure cooker. Kelechi Iheanacho bagged the winner in the 82nd minute, just before McLean sent off Ryan Astley for a foul on Yang Hyun-jun. While Celtic certainly saw several big moments go their way in one afternoon, the conversation often labels them lucky rather than effective.<\/p>\n

That seems a bit harsh. While Celtic haven\u2019t always shown the dominance people expect from champions this year, they\u2019re still grinding out tough wins away from home, which is exactly what title-winning teams do. They managed to take three points from a tricky venue, recovered after Simon Murray\u2019s penalty equaliser, and found a way to win late.<\/p>\n

As Hackett confirmed, Dundee\u2019s back-pass grievances didn\u2019t have a leg to stand on. The ball touched a player, not a teammate\u2019s boot; the rule is black and white. Refereeing drama often steals the headlines when the losing side is vocal, but the facts here show McLean got it spot on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celtic secured a gritty 2-1 win over Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday, April 5, in a matchday 32 clash that carried massive importance for the title race. As expected with such high stakes, a few refereeing calls sparked heated debate after the whistle. The loudest complaints from the Dundee camp centred on a back-pass […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13963,"featured_media":25983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}