BBC ‘shocked’ at UEFA decision after Barnabas Varga’s sickening collision against Scotland

Gabby Logan admitted that the BBC were ‘shocked’ by UEFA’s decision to broadcast a replay of Barnabas Varga’s head injury during Scotland’s defeat to Hungary.

On Sunday evening Scotland became the second team to be eliminated from Euro 2024 when they lost 1-0 to Hungary in their final group game.

Both sides were poor for much of the evening, but any rare moments of quality were completely overshadowed by a sickening injury suffered by Hungary’s Barnabas Varga.

Midway through the second half the attacker collided with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn while contesting an aerial ball, with Varga taking a heavy hit to the face.

The 29-year-old fell to the ground and appeared motionless, prompting his teammates to rush to his aide and put him in the recovery position.

Medical staff were initially slow to react to the situation, with Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai rushing over to help them carry the stretcher.

Stewards and Hungary’s players held up blankets to shield Varga as he received medical attention before he left the field on a stretcher and was taken to hospital.

During its live coverage of the match, the BBC initially showed a replay of the collision before cutting away to a wider shot of the pitch.

After the match, presenter Gabby Logan explained that the BBC was ‘surprised’ by UEFA showing a close-up replay on its match feed, prompting the broadcaster to switch to its own footage.

“All of our thoughts are with Barnabas Varga after that sickening collision, and we are updating you as we get information on his condition,” Logan said.

“We were as shocked as you when they [UEFA] replayed that incident. There are protocols around those kinds of things after Christian Eriksen [collapsed] three years ago.

“We were very surprised when UEFA chose to show that replay, which is why we cut away immediately to a wide angle as soon as we could.”

Hungary have since confirmed that Varga is “conscious and in a stable condition.“

“Several bones in Barnabas Varga’s face were broken during the collision during the match, and he also suffered a concussion,” a statement from Hungary’s Football Association read.

“The striker is most likely to undergo surgery. He spends the night in the hospital in Stuttgart.”

Hungary went on to snatch victory when Kevin Csoboth finished off a swift counter-attack in the 100th minute.

Marco Rossi’s side finished third in Group A with three points, which could turn out to be enough to secure them a place in the last-16 as one of the best third-placed teams.