Hearts seek SFA clarification over disallowed goal vs Kilmarnock as VAR decision questioned
Hearts will take their disallowed goal matter to the SFA after a talking point stemmed from their Rugby Park clash.
Hearts are seeking clarification from the Scottish FA over their disallowed goal at Kilmarnock on Saturday night, the Evening News understands.
The Jambos drew 1-1 at Rugby Park in their final Premiership match before an extended international break but were denied taking the lead by VAR. Laurent Mendy was judged to have handled the ball upon scoring off a cross into the Kilmarnock box but his effort was helped on its way into the net by defender Cathal McCarthy.
Head coach Wouter Vrancken found the decision made by VAR official Matthew MacDermid ‘strange’ after match referee Duncan Nicolson initially gave the goal. Now Hearts will seek further clarity from the SFA over the goal being disallowed. Joe Hugill opened the scoring for Kilmarnock soon after and Stephen Kingsley’s late strike earned the Tynecastle club a point.
What did match referee say to Wouter Vrancken about disallowed Hearts goal
Manchester United’s 5-2 win over Ipswich Town in the Premier League last month set a precedent for this type of incident. Harry’s Maguire’s effort looked to have come off his arm in the build-up to a goal that struck defender Jacob Greaves on the way in. Match official Craig Pawson and VAR official Jarred Gillett determined the handball as accidental, so under current rules because Maguire didn’t score directly from his attempt, the goal stood.
Vrancken said on whether he spoke to Nicolson: “Yes. I just wanted to speak and know the rule because maybe I was wrong. He said, ‘I just got in my ear that the goalscorer touched the ball with his hand.’ Like I said, it's not him to blame at this moment, it's a VAR decision. So it was really strange. I'm curious about the explanation of the SFA. I'm curious about this explanation.”
The Hearts boss further explained: “The rules are clear about it, I think. We saw it also in the Manchester United-Ipswich game. We just took the image in the dressing room also. It's clear about the rules. For me, when it's such a clear situation, it's strange that VAR comes in between and rules wrong. It's simple. I get the rules, because we had a meeting last week about the laws of the game, and the refs did their explanation.
Wouter Vrancken on Hearts disallowed goal vs Kilmarnock
“I like to see those things, because you take it with you, but when you don't see them applied in the game, then I'm thinking this is strange. Of course there are some situations, grey zones, and then it's difficult also for the refs. But this was a really clear situation and they ruled it wrong. For me, it's also decisive in the game.
“Otherwise, you are 1-0 ahead, we were good in the game, we could control the game. It was also a decisive moment. It's strange, because when it's not an intentional handball, even if it's not intentional, and the goalscorer scores. I don't blame the ref, that's clear. It's just a VAR decision here. He gets in his ear that the goalscorer touched the ball with his hand, and then it's goal denied, 100%.
“I fully agree, because that's the rule, but here it's clear that the defender with the head scores the goal. We saw it in the Manchester United game, that the goal has to stand at the moment. It was so clear because we saw it on the images we had on the bench and it's far from the goal. We saw it clear that the defender scores the goal. When you have images in the VAR, I think it's even more clear. It's a strange decision for me.”
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