Kris Boyd found himself right at the centre of the fallout from Hibs’ controversial equaliser against Celtic, with his stance on the incident leaving plenty of eyebrows raised in the studio.
The flashpoint came just before half-time at Easter Road when Joe Newell bundled the ball home to cancel out Daizen Maeda’s opener. The goal was allowed to stand by referee David Dickinson, with VAR official Don Robertson sticking with the on-field call despite clear debate over a possible handball in the build-up.
It did not take long for the discussion to heat up on Sky Sports, and Boyd’s take quickly became the talking point.
The former Rangers striker acknowledged there was contact with the arm but still leaned towards the decision standing, suggesting the evidence was not clear-cut enough to overturn it.
He said: “People out there moaning about VAR but if VAR wasn’t there then the goal is given. They checked it. The referee has given the goal on the field and they’ve checked it so that’s that if it’s inconclusive.
“For me, there’s an argument to say it hits his arm twice. Okay, it’s t-shirt line (initially) but then it goes down and brushed off the bottom of his arm before it hits his thigh and he puts it in the back of the net.”
That explanation did not sit comfortably with everyone in the studio.
Aiden McGeady pressed him directly, asking: “Do you think it’s inconclusive?” while James McFadden made his own position crystal clear, insisting the contact was obvious.
McFadden said: “It hits his arm for me. I don’t why they’ve allowed that to stand.”
McGeady backed that view, adding: “I’m in agreement, that’s why I’m asking ‘Do you think that’s inconclusive?’ One angle shows it hitting his arm.”
But it was McFadden’s follow-up that really put Boyd under the spotlight and summed up the contradiction in his argument.
He said: “He (Kris Boyd) actually think it hits his arm. But he’s not caring that it’s not given.”
That remark captured the mood perfectly, highlighting the gap between Boyd’s own admission and his acceptance of the outcome.
The debate has only intensified further since, with the incident drawing criticism beyond the studio.
The Ref’s View podcast, run by former Grade One officials Des Roache and Steve Conroy, said of the incident: “That’s a handball and the player gained an advantage to score. Goal should be disallowed.”
With multiple voices pointing in the same direction, the decision to let the goal stand continues to divide opinion, and Boyd’s reaction has only added fuel to an already heated conversation.