The SFA have admitted that a mistake was made against Celtic in the opening SPFL match of the season- with the two officials involved in charge of Sunday’s Sky Sports match from Tannadice.
Willie Collum has given a factual breakdown of the foul on Kyogo Furuhashi by Robbie McCrorie but offered no explanation as to why Greg Aitken refused to step in and award Celtic a penalty.
There seemed little doubt that the Celtic forward was wiped out, match referee Don Robertson can be excused for missing it at ground level but with multiple camera angles from Sky Sports Aitken decided not to intervene and award a penalty.
The SFA has two full-time VAR officials with Aitken and Andrew Dallas monitoring the top fixtures now that their days on the pitch are over.
We believe this is the wrong decision.
We have coached the referees and the VARs that a penalty should have been awarded here. There are a couple of things I would like to discuss about the clip. Firstly, it is an unexpected free-kick with the way the ball is chipped over the wall and it catches the on-field referee by surprise.
It is then very difficult for the referee to find an angle around that wall to get a view of the incident, because the referees priority is that if there is a shot there is potential for handball in the wall. So, he has positioned himself correctly to judge that and it then becomes a very difficult decision for him to make on-field.
The Celtic player clearly gets ahead, wins the ball, touches the ball past the goalkeeper and we then think the goalkeeper’s actions are reckless. So for us, this should have been a penalty kick and an on-field review should have been requested and the referee then asked to make a judgement on the call.
It is a step forward that Collum has discussed the issue but it leads to more unanswered questions.
The VAR audio could be released to explain what went on, clearly Aitken reviewed it and decided that no foul was committed.
As a full time employee it seems that the SFA can’t take any action against Aitken who will again be on VAR duty with Robertson at the most high profile match of the weekend
Aitken has strong Kilmarnock connections from growing up there and attending school, in England officials are kept away from any fixture where they have a connection to either club.
What he really meant tae say is “We will continue tae deny Dem Tim’s pens & then tell yi we wur wrang Mths l8r & that once again it was an HONEST MISTAKE” Same auld SHITE different NARRATIVE explaining it!!
That guy should be nowhere near a game involving Kilmarnock given his attachments to the town.
This is one of the many things wrong with Scottish football: seriously compromised officials.
He isn’t gonna ask them to declare who (if anyone – Aye what referee doesn’t have an interest in football and doesn’t support a team) they support…
They would just lie anyway, they’d be a helluva lot of Hamilton Accies fans and Ayr United and Morton ones as well no doubt…
It just won’t work on Scotland with most of them Sevco and probably one or two Celtic supporters when younger and possibly an odd truly genuine St. Johnstone and St. Mirren supporting one out there…
I know – Because when I’m in pubs in Belfast City Centre I’ve been asked (probably because they hear my Scottish accent) “One Question – Who d’ya support” – Celtic or Rangers* (* they’re word not mine which is Sevco) and I just reply Dumbarton a team I used to go and see nearly 30 years ago at Old Boghead when Celtic were away from Parkhead…
I used to go and watch them because I couldn’t be fucked listening to ma then girlfriend and her pals smoking marrow anna and gibbering and giggling ladies chat about period pains and who was ‘due on’ and ‘mid flow’ as they got pissed on Glens Vodka so a Saturday at Old Boghead and a slow pub crawl up the hill was ma preferred option so they could say the same I suppose, perhaps with different reasons or more likely they’d just pure lie without any reason so I don’t see them ever declaring and Collum’s not gonna make them according to his chat at the end of the show…
Still – At least he’s come on which is more than the ghost that seemed to be Crawford Allan or Allan Crawford or whatever his Surname – Surname his predecessor was bloody well called !
If Greggy has nought to do except sit and watch a telly screen for fouls and he cannot see that this is a foul and tell the Referee to view it with a possible view to a penalty award and he cannot see it, he must be incompetent or insincere.
Take your pick.
It is still cheating!
As I’ve said before if the punishment for cheating is “NO” punishment….why stop cheating…so what will happen here…. NOTHING…. as Dallas sr said clear and obvious .. Dallas jr didn’t point out Johnson’s booking was a clear and obvious mistake mmmmm
When’s the var review of the offside v the Rangers coming?
The Twelfth of Never – Ade, that’s when !
Scottish football could make a valuable contribution to European and World football.
Spare us all the excuses to cover up the blatant corruption or incompetence.
Just bin VAR in the SPFL,
and our dodgy match officials will never be inflicted on supporters outside
of Scotland ever again!
No question, some of what Willie Collum says about the treatment and abuse aimed at Scottish referees is harsh.
But regardless of his arrogant effort, neither Willie Collum nor anyone else will convince me that his referees are above scrutiny or question!
To say his referees as professionals, should never have their honesty and/or integrity questioned is no different to saying the exact same of players, coaches or managers!
Honesty and integrity of referees! Does the name Hugh Dallas raise any red flags? He was outed as having neither! Like it or not, today we have his son Andrew doing his very best, at every single opportunity to avenge those who outed his daddy!
SFA OFFICIALS without honesty and integrity! Remember Jim Farry?
These corrupt people were allowed to continue in their positions of power, under the pretense of “honesty and integrity”.
While these two took a while to be outed, they did years of damage along the way, costing Celtic and other clubs MILLIONS just to assist their establishment club!
So honesty and integrity Willie?
How about some respect first by being honest with the decisions!