John Hughes: Collum decision was absolute rubbish

John Hughes has joined the chorus of criticism of Willie Collum branding the decision to give Aberdeen a last minute penalty against Inverness Caley Thistle as absolute rubbish.

Since being announced as one of the referee’s to officiate at Euro 2016 the Lanarkshire referee’s form has nosedived with managers, players and supporters angered by his decisions to award penalties to Falkirk, Sevco, Aberdeen and Inverness Caley Thistle in successive matches.

After the final whistle at Pittodrie Hughes announced that he wouldn’t comment on the penalty that denied his team two points until he had watched it again on video.

While it’s infuriating when a referee misses an incident it seems bizarre that Collum is seeing things that didn’t happen and punishing clubs for incidents that are fiction.

Looking back to Saturday’s incident Hughes said: “You expect better from Scotland’s number one referee. In injury-time, in that box, with his positioning, he needs to get that call spot-on, and I think he got it wrong. I think the TV evidence proved that and you just feel totally let down.

“It amazes me. What does he think he saw? Because it certainly never hit his arm or his hand and when I went into speak to him I asked the question and he felt his arms were in an unnatural position.

“That’s absolute rubbish because an unnatural position is if your arms are out like you are nailed to a cross or they are above your head. When you come out and block it, that’s a natural position. So I’m bitterly disappointed and it cost us.”

Denying one of the great myths used to explain refereeing mistakes Hughes added: “But it’s done and dusted, I don’t hold any grudges. We are all open to human error and make mistakes. But throughout the season, does it even itself out? I’m not too sure if it does.”

Collum will referee tonight’s Dundee v Celtic match, on Saturday he has the Livingston v Queen of the South fixture.