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

Gabby Logan has admitted the BBC was “shocked” by UEFA’s decision to broadcast a replay of Barnabas Varga’s head injury in 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 match.

Both teams were mediocre for much of the evening, but the few moments of quality were completely overshadowed by a sickening injury suffered by Hungarian Barnabas Varga.

Midway through the second half, the striker collided with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn while contesting an aerial ball, with Varga receiving a heavy blow to the face.

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

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

Hungarian stewards and players held up blankets to protect Varga as he received medical treatment before leaving the field on a stretcher and being taken to hospital.

During its live coverage of the match, the BBC first showed a replay of the collision before switching to a wider shot of the pitch.

After the match, presenter Gabby Logan explained that the BBC had been “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 following this sickening collision, and we will keep you updated as we obtain information on his condition,” Logan said.

“We were as shocked as you were when they (UEFA) replayed this incident. There are protocols around this sort of thing after Christian Eriksen (collapsed) three years ago.

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

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

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

“The attacker will most likely undergo surgery. He is spending the night in Stuttgart hospital.”

Hungary secured victory when Kevin Csoboth produced a quick counter-attack in the 100th minute.

Marco Rossi’s side finished third in Group A with three points, which could prove enough to secure them a place in the round of 16 among the top third-placed teams.