SFA make Hibs confession over controversial penalty as VAR and referee get it wrong over critical decision
The SFA have confirmed the penalty news involving Hibs in a recent report.
The Scottish FA have revealed that VAR and the refereeing team got a controversial penalty decision between Hibs and St Mirren wrong.
In the Premiership game that finished 1-1 between the sides at Easter Road prior to September’s international break, controversy arose when major appeals for a home spot-kick were waved away after the ball looked to have came off the arm of Buddies defender Jayden Richardson. Nothing was given in the incident that occurred during second half stoppage time and the full time whistle was blown by referee Matthew MacDermid, having not been beckoned over to the monitor by the VAR official, Ryan Lee.
A new Key Match Incident (KMI) panel report has revealed that a unanimous 3-0 verdict deemed the decision of no penalty incorrect, with both the on-field and VAR call wrong. Reporting reads: “The panel unanimously agreed that the on-field decision was incorrect. The panel highlighted VAR was incorrect not to intervene to recommend an OFR and a penalty should have been awarded for handball.”
What former referee said about missed penalty vs St Mirren
Scottish FA’s head of referees, Willie Collum, will likely address the situation in the maiden VAR Review Show of the season, which is due to be aired on Sky Sports this Friday at 6pm. Former referee Bobby Madden said of the decision: “Make it make sense was a message I got from a good Hibs man I know. Sorry, I can’t.”
Hibs head coach David Gray said after the incident: "One thing I don't like doing is ever using excuses for refereeing decisions. There's always areas in which we can do better in moments within the game. I don't blame the referee at all. I think he's someone that gets one chance to see it, it happens that quick.
"Sometimes you can tell by the players reaction round about that something's happened and I think that's why VAR has been brought in. It's been brought in to help the referees, to assist them, to make sure they get the opportunity to put something right.
Hibs reaction to penalty controversy
"I would probably ask the question why he wasn't asked to go and see the screen because I think his hand is away from his body, it is high. Yes, he's very close but if it doesn't hit his hand it goes in the goal. I think that's a pretty fair assessment of what happens. I'm not saying it's deliberate, I'm not saying anything like that at all but I think he deserves the opportunity or at least needs to be explained why it wasn't a penalty. That's probably what I need to find out, why it wasn't a penalty."
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson said: “Of course you always pray that the decision isn’t going to go against you, but I thought it would have been extremely harsh because I thought we were excellent. It was a really good game of football, two teams who played some really good stuff and created chances between us. I thought we had a lot of chances, just our end product, our last pass, our last decision, that’s what let us down to win the game.
“If you don’t take those chances, you’re always liable. The delivery that they have from set plays is fantastic and it’s very, very difficult to defend. I’d have been very aggrieved if we lost the game.”