John Barnes and Ian Wright have opened up about an infamous chapter in Mark Viduka’s time at Celtic, a story that has kept fans talking for years.
Viduka has never been shy about his time in Glasgow, often speaking about how isolated he felt while at the club.
But even with how he left the club, Viduka hasn’t been shy about his support for Celtic since then.
Barnes has since spoken out about what happened that night. He explained why Viduka refused to take part in the second half during their 3-1 loss to Inverness Caley Thistle.
John Barnes opens up on how Celtic CEO handled Viduka incident
One of the most memorable moments of John Barnes’ time at Celtic is the Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Inverness Caley Thistle.
Speaking to Stick to Football, Barnes recalled, “I’ve now come, and Kenny came, and we started off OK. We were three points behind them up until Christmas.”
“But then when Larsson broke his leg and Lambert broke his jaw, what you need is the harmony. So Viduka then, wanted to go, and Craig Burley wanted to go, they weren’t happy.”
Ian Wright chimed in: “Remember in the dressing room when he started taking off his kit, against Caley?”
Barnes responded: “Well, he never played. So Inverness Caley Thistle you remember right? He never came on because he just goes and this is where…”
Neville: “Who’s this?”
Barnes clarified: “Viduka. Eric Black the coach said to him ‘oh you’re cheating’, He goes ‘what?’.
He continued: “‘You’re cheating’ because he wasn’t running around because he wanted to go to Leeds because Leeds tapped him up and he was going to go to Leeds.
“He said ‘I’m not playing’. I said ‘You’re refusing to go on?’ He goes ‘yeah’. And he took his kit off and got in the bath.
“So, I said to the CEO what are we going to say about Mark Viduka refusing play?”
Ian Wright: ‘Never seen anything like’ Mark Viduka’s Celtic exit
During his short stay at Celtic, Ian Wright played alongside Viduka and had a front-row seat to one of the club’s most talked-about moments. He’s spoken about what it was like inside the dressing room that day.
Wright: “You know what, as well, it was really weird because remember the fans, they gave him a cheer like he was the Pope when he came out.
“And he just came in and just took his gear off. I’ve never seen anything like it. And refused to play. Never seen anything like it.”
The incident is part of club lore now, something Celtic fans still talk about long after the fact.
But for Barnes, that game remains a defining moment in his career – one that still lingers despite everything else he achieved before and after.
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