Aberdeen’s run of victories under new boss Barry Robson came to an end on Sunday with a 1-0 defeat at Rangers – but the Ibrox clash was not without refereeing controversy.
Our officiating expert Finlay Elder reviews the performance of the men in black, led at Ibrox by John Beaton, during the Dons’ loss.
He focuses in on two incidents – Gers defender Connor Goldson’s unpunished wrestling with Reds striker Duk, and the earlier flashpoint involving home midfielder Todd Cantwell and Aberdeen’s Liam Scales.
Why did Beaton feel need to book Dons’ Clarkson after Gers’ Cantwell pushed Scales to spark stramash?
Two weeks on from their last encounter at Pittodrie – a 2-0 Dons win – Aberdeen travelled to Ibrox to take on Rangers.
Let’s start with the Cantwell-Scales incident just after the half-hour mark.
The moment, which seemed to come out of the blue, saw Rangers’ Cantwell aggressively shove Scales to the ground after they had contested for the ball in the Aberdeen area, with players from both sides naturally rushing in as protectors/peacemakers.
My first impression was it could have easily been a red card for Cantwell. I was unsure at that point if he had made a connection with the face of Scales – if he had then it would’ve definitely been a sending off.
I have since watched the footage back, and Cantwell can consider himself very lucky he didn’t hit Scales in the face.
I think a yellow card was the correct decision – and a key one, given the player went on the score the game’s only goal in the second half.
However, I think the decision to award Aberdeen’s Leighton Clarkson a yellow card as well, after the Dons midfielder came to Scales’ aid, was ridiculous from referee Beaton.
It seemed to be the classic stramash-refereeing tactic of picking a player from each team and calling it even.
But it was not used appropriately, given the situation stemmed from a completely unprovoked off-the-ball shove from the Rangers player on a Dons player who wasn’t even looking in his direction.
Referee, assistant and VAR not punishing Goldson for tangle with Duk was totally bemusing
The most controversial moment of the match at Ibrox revolved around a tangle between Aberdeen striker Luis “Duk” Lopes and defender Connor Goldson as the former tried to move beyond his opponent into the Rangers penalty area.
Duk was almost too honest in the challenge. He was clearly wrestled the ground by Goldson, but felt the ball was still there and battled to free himself from the Gers player’s clutches and get back to his feet.
Nevertheless, the referee and his assistant referee, who was very close to the incident, not deeming Goldson’s actions worthy of even a foul (instead awarding the Dons a corner) was incredible.
It was the most clear foul in the entire game, and how whistler Beaton and the linesman – both with clear views of what was going on – could look at it and not see that is beyond me.
I don’t think Aberdeen manager Barry Robson could be blamed for asking in his post-match interview if video assistant referee (VAR) technology was even being used at the game following this.
VAR shouldn’t get involved unless they feel a penalty and/or red card call has gone the wrong way.
Goldson’s wrestling with Duk started outside the box, yes – but it continued into the Gers penalty area, and therefore, under the laws of the game, it was a potential penalty/red card offence, so VAR should have got involved.
Why they did not is as bemusing as the referee and his assistant not awarding Aberdeen a foul in the first place.
Beaton influenced in decision-making by home supporters at Ibrox?
You could say Goldson was lucky, but overall I think referee Beaton had a poor game in terms of decision making, with clear fouls being waved off time and again.
The missed foul on Duk was the worst by a country mile, and I think part of the reason Duk battled his way back to his feet instead of staying down was probably an expectation the whistle was not going to come, as Beaton had been giving him and his Reds team-mates absolutely nothing in terms of fouls.
When you go to Ibrox, most teams expect to get nothing from the referee. The home supporters certainly have an influence on the decisions, something the small corner of Aberdeen fans were unable to do on the other side of the stadium when it came to the Duk incident.
If a similar challenge to Goldson’s was made by an Aberdeen defender on a Rangers attacker at the other end of the park, I feel there might have been a different outcome.
- Finlay Elder has been a registered referee for six years and a category 5 official since 2019, with experience in the Highland League, juniors and Club Academy.
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