Did the officials get the big calls correct in the Rangers v Aberdeen clash on Saturday? In a new feature, our resident expert Finlay Elder assesses the performance of the referee and video assistant referee (VAR) at Ibrox:
It has been little more than a week since VAR was introduced to the Scottish game with mixed, but mostly positive, results.
Aberdeen were on the receiving end of a straightforward review last weekend in their 2-1 win at Motherwell, which saw Bojan Miovski’s goal given, while also benefiting from a possible mistake in the last minute.
The clash with Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday, which the Dons lost 4-1, was always likely to include testing moments for the officials, though.
Meetings between Aberdeen and Rangers are, without exception, feisty affairs, with refereeing decisions often playing a big part. In the pre-VAR era, there have been occasions where the officials have had a significant influence on results, and the Ibrox crowd certainly seems, at times, to have a bearing on decision-making.
Even with VAR, human error is still going to be a factor in refereeing Scottish top-flight matches, and mistakes will still occur in many games – no amount of technology will change that.
Was Aberdeen vs Rangers one of those games? Or did the officials, led by Nick Walsh on the field, get every crucial decision correct?
Aberdeen perhaps lucky VAR wasn’t involved in opener
We start with Connor Barron’s opening goal.
The strike gave Aberdeen the lead in the first half, and VAR supported the on-field decision after only checking if Luis “Duk” Lopes was offside before embarking on the run which set up the goal.
I personally think Duk was lucky the Dons’ opener wasn’t chalked off. He went down far too easily as James Tavernier challenged him in the box in the build up to the goal, and I have seen officials award free-kicks and caution players for simulation in very similar circumstances, although there was a small amount of contact.
If referee Walsh had been proactive and awarded a free-kick against Duk for simulation, which would have rendered Barron’s finish into the unguarded net void, I don’t think VAR – reviewing the Duk-Tavernier incident – would have overturned the ruling and awarded Aberdeen a penalty.
Penalty award for Richardson hand-ball was correct – and here’s why
Handball has been a contentious matter in football since the confusing rule change a few years ago.
This season the handball rule seems to be more straightforward, but that doesn’t stop every player, fan and coach calling for a decision every time the ball hits an opponent’s hand.
Handball still remains one of the most subjective decisions a referee can make, and different officials will take different viewpoints on what they deem as “unnatural” hand/arm positions.
The penalty awarded to Rangers following a Willie Collum VAR check on Aberdeen full-back Jayden Richardson for handball was unlucky, but correct.
His touch takes the ball in the direction of his arm, and he essentially “juggles” the ball before eventually clearing his lines.
Watching it in real time, I thought: “no penalty there”.
However, after reviewing the incident (the same as the referee was able to), I agree a penalty was the correct call.
Although accidental, Richardson does move his hand towards the ball, which allows him to gain better control of the ball.
Despite my opinion, I know there will be plenty of people who disagree with the decision, with some on social media pointing to the no-penalty award in the recent Hearts v Celtic game.
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