Copyright glasgowworld
John Beaton has sparked a red card debate over a former Celtic star - after sending him off over an alleged headbutt in the Europa League. Utrecht drew 1-1 with Porto in the pair’s latest league phase matches but it came with controversy as the Scottish ref took charge. As Borja Sainz levelled for Porto, goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas was red carded after what was viewed as a headbutt on opponent Gabri Veiga by the officiating team. The Greek stopper has been at Utrecht since a loan in 2022, having joined Celtic in 2020, and enduring a difficult time in Glasgow. He has been established as Utrecht’s number one but Beaton’s decision to red card him has left him whipping out anger and sarcasm. He told Ziggo Sport: “What happened? To be honest, nothing out of the ordinary. He came at me and tried to provoke me. He got really close with his head. I thought he was going to get a yellow card, but then I saw the red card. That surprised me. He should have gotten a yellow card. “I hope the boy is okay and doesn't have to go to the hospital. It wasn't a red card, but I still want to apologize to the supporters and my teammates. Because of me, they had to play with ten men. Luckily, Michael Brouwer and the other guys did a fantastic job, but for me, it's very disappointing." Barkas said to World Football Index on his time at Celtic previously: “It was a move that excited me at the time, but the timing was unlucky as no one knew that Covid would have the impact on things as it did. I went to another country to play outside Greece for the first time and due to the situation, players had to be in different changing rooms and stay apart from each other as much as possible. “That meant that I was not able to have the connection with my teammates like I had at AEK before I arrived. I was also not able to enjoy the simple things such as going out for coffee as you were not allowed to with the Covid rules. I felt like I did not have a period to acclimatise to Scotland as I would have liked which impacted on my mental health and then in my ability to perform as I had before. “People may look at me and say that it did not work out and that is true, but Celtic is a big club in European football, and I always have to thank them for what they gave me as it was my first experience of football abroad and I saw a different football culture. “Sure, it did not work out for me as I would have liked but that is life, and it cannot be changed. Joe Hart was a fantastic person as well as being a fantastic player, with a strong sense of humour also. He achieved so much by winning the Premier League and FA Cup at Manchester City, but he never had an ego. He was humble and worked hard every single day in training. We had a strong relationship and shared many laughs together. It was a pleasure to know him.”
