The Haiti National Team claimed two possible hands from Scottish defender Grant Hanley during the 1-0 loss to Scotland in the Group C match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, played on June 13 at Boston Stadium.
Scotland won with a goal from John McGinn in the 28th minute, after a shot that deflected off a Haitian defender and left goalkeeper Johny Placide with no options.
The Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal directed the match, while the Saudi Abdullah Dhafer was in charge of the VAR.
The first action claimed by Haiti occurred around the 23rd minute. Players and coaching staff considered that a ball hit Hanley’s hand inside the Scottish area. However, the play continued without a penalty and did not lead to a visible VAR review.
The second action occurred around the 78th minute, when a shot by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde hit the Scottish defender’s arm again. The Haitian soccer players requested a penalty, but the game continued without an infraction being reported.
Furthermore, in the 74th minute a yellow card foul was recorded that generated debate among fans and analysts, some of whom considered that the action could merit an expulsion.
The plays provoked comments on social networks, where videos of the actions and opinions on the refereeing decisions circulated.
With this result, Scotland added its first three points in Group C in its return to a World Cup after 28 years of absence.
The Scottish team played its last World Cup in France 1998. Its qualification for the 2026 edition ended an absence of almost three decades in the final phase of the tournament.
Haiti, for its part, returned to a World Cup after 52 years. His only previous participation had been in West Germany 1974.
Despite the defeat, the Caribbean team maintains its chances of qualifying and will face its next group stage matches with the need to score points.