BBC apologise to viewers after showing footage of Barnabas Varga injury for Hungary against Scotland in Euros

The BBC have apologised to viewers after showing a replay of an incident involving Hungary’s Barnabas Varga, where the Ferencváros player suffered a horror injury in a collision with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn at Euro 2024.

After a ball was lofted into Scotland’s box, Varga and Gunn made an attempt to reach it. Gunn managed to punch the ball away, but caught Varga in the follow-through - as a result, the Hungarian was knocked out and suffered a facial ‘fracture’.

The collision made for unsettling viewing - leading audiences to be shocked when a replay of it was shown on the BBC, before they cut to a static wide angle of the Stuttgart Arena.

Despite the criticism, it should be noted that the BBC’s control over what is shown is limited - they, like all the other broadcasters who have the rights to televise Euro 2024, are at the mercy of UEFA’s global feed.

Hungary would go on to win the game against Scotland, despite the blow of losing Varga. There was a massive amount of added time after 90 minutes had been played - in the 100th minute of the outing, Kevin Csoboth slammed the ball into the back of the net to send Scotland out of the competition in the group stage once again.

Presenter Gabby Logan addressed the audience in the wake of the incident, saying: "We were as shocked as you when they replayed that incident. There are protocols around this kind of thing after Christian Eriksen three years ago and we were very surprised that UEFA decided to show that replay, which is why we cut away immediately to a wide angle as soon as we could."

On the injury sustained by Varga, Hungary head coach Marco Rossi said: "Barnabas Varga's life is not in danger. He will undergo an operation after fracture in his face and he won't be available for the rest of Euro 2024."