Robbery? Scotland vs Haiti marred by poor refereeing as fans rage on social media

Scotland’s long-awaited return to the FIFA World Cup began with a 1-0 victory over Haiti, but the result was overshadowed by controversy surrounding several key refereeing decisions. Fans on social media questioned why Haiti were denied what appeared to be a clear penalty and why a late high challenge from Scotland escaped VAR scrutiny.

The victory, secured by a deflected strike from John McGinn, gave Scotland their first World Cup win since 1990 and marked a positive start to their Group C campaign.

Controversy erupted in the 79th minute when Haiti’s Jean-Ricner Bellegarde sent a shot from outside the box that appeared to hit the hand of Scotland defender Grant Hanley in the penalty area. Despite the loud appeals of the Haitian players, the referees and VAR did not intervene.

“This is the biggest robbery I have ever seen in my entire life. Look where the hand is and they didn’t even call it. Scotland have to steal from Haiti to win,” wrote one fan on X.

Hanley was involved in another handball incident in the box earlier in the game. While others were equally frustrated by the lack of action from the video assistant referee time and time again, with many claiming that Haiti were denied a legitimate opportunity to level the scores from the penalty spot.

Questions were also raised deep into stoppage time when Scotland midfielder Kenny McLean was only shown a yellow card for a high challenge on Josue Casimir. The footage appeared to show McLean’s boot making contact above knee height, but VAR again chose not to recommend a review, further fueling criticism of the authority. Fans raise concerns over Haiti vs Scotland misreferencing (screenshot from X)

HAITI WILL PLAY OVER DEFEAT

While Scotland walked away with all three points, Haiti’s performance earned widespread praise. In their first World Cup appearance since 1974, the Caribbean side matched their European opponents for long periods and refused to be intimidated by the occasion.

After falling behind in the 29th minute, Haiti continued to push forward and created some promising opportunities. Wilson Isidor went agonizingly close to converting from the dangerous Providence center in the closing stages, while Frantzdy Pierrot’s late header narrowly missed as Haiti sought a historic equaliser.

Despite continued pressure, Scotland held on to secure a major win in their first World Cup appearance since 1998. Scotland face Morocco on June 20 after the North Africans drew 1-1 with Brazil, while Haiti face the five-time world champions in their second Group C game.

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Published on:

14 Jun 2026 09:52 IST