Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Scottish football were let down by poor refereeing calls in the League Cup semi-finals.
Three crucial decisions went against underdogs Aberdeen and Kilmarnock in semis at the national stadium.
Each incident could have potentially changed the outcome of both games- if the referees and VAR had got it right.
In the Dons 2-1 extra-time loss to Rangers, captain Anthony Stewart was sent off for a reckless, mistimed challenge on Fashion Sakala – that was the right decision by referee Nick Walsh as it was a mistimed, reckless challenge.
Aberdeen can have no complaints about that decision.
However, just a few minutes before Stewart’s dismissal, Rangers should have been reduced to 10 men… but weren’t.
Rangers defender Borna Barisic lunged into a tackle from behind with both feet off the ground that scythed down Matty Kennedy.
Barasic tackle from yesterday. Both feet off the ground lunging in from behind. Right through Kennedy.
🔴or🟡? pic.twitter.com/FDg5UTmpGl— Mark Massie (@markmassie4372) January 16, 2023
Barisic was only shown a yellow card for that incident in the 87th minute.
It was a reckless tackle and should have been punished with a dismissal.
VAR can intervene if they think a yellow card should be a red by recommending action to the referee, who ultimately makes the final decision.
Walsh and VAR both got it wrong. Barisic should have walked.
Soon after Stewart’s dismissal there was another contentious moment which should also have resulted in a red card for Rangers.
In the final throes of injury time, with Aberdeen down to 10 men, Ryan Kent lashed out at Aberdeen centre-back Liam Scales.
Scales felt that he was punched off the ball by Kent and television replays appeared to back up his claim.
The incident was off the ball and referee Walsh missed it.
RED CARD every day of the week and twice on Sunday's but VAR didn't refer Nick Walsh to the monitor… why? https://t.co/qPy9bFaMcb
— Inside The SPFL (@AgentScotland) January 15, 2023
Fair enough, the referee was watching the play.
However, surely an incident like this is one of the primary reasons VAR was introduced?
Which raise the question – was VAR fully operational at the time of the Kent-Scales flashpoint?
At the start of extra-time there was an announcement over the Hampden tannoy that VAR would not be available again for the rest of the match. That was due to a technical issue with the VAR station at Clydesdale House in Glasgow, and it was later announced VAR was working again.
The problem was solved by moving to the back-up station.
However, was VAR fully operational in the final minutes of injury time when Kent clashed with Scales, shortly before confirmation came through it was down.
There appears to have been contact to Scales’ face off the ball.
If VAR was operational, why wasn’t the referee sent to the monitor to decide if it was a red card or not?
Rangers could potentially have been down to nine men in the semi-final.
That would have had enormous ramifications to the potential outcome of a game so finely balanced.
There have been calls for Kent to be retrospectively red carded, but that will not help Aberdeen and is irrelevant to the Dons who miss out on the League Cup final.
In the other semi-final, fewer than 24 hours earlier, Kilmarnock were rightly aggrieved at a shocking refereeing decision late in the game against Celtic.
Celtic’s Giorgos Giakoumakis clearly bundled Joe Wright over inside the box in the dying minutes with the Hoops leading 1-0.
Referee Willie Collum failed to point to the spot.
No penalty? 😂 what’s the point in playing? pic.twitter.com/7onHyyR1cU
— TheKilmarnockBible (@KilmarnockBible) January 14, 2023
Celtic were leading 1-0 at the time, and went straight down the other end with Giakoumakis scoring.
That’s three key decisions which went against the underdogs when facing Rangers and Celtic, despite the introduction of VAR.
It is difficult enough for teams to beat the Old Firm in Glasgow – they need referees to make the right calls and VAR to help them do that.
That simply wasn’t the case at Hampden over the weekend.
Let’s be clear. I am not for a second suggesting there is some conspiracy to get the Glasgow clubs into finals. There is not, and Scottish football is not the X-files.
Referees are trying to do a tough job to the best of their ability.
It is their ability to make the right calls in huge games which comes into question.
Honest mistakes were made by officials at Hampden in both finals which were costly despite the presence, when operational, of VAR.
It will be frustrating and infuriating for Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
And probably for fans outwith the Glasgow two as the duopoly is played out in the final next month.
Hearts trip make or break for Aberdeen’s hopes of third
Aberdeen’s trip to Hearts tonight is make or break for their aspirations of securing a third-placed finish in the Premiership this season.
Jim Goodwin’s Reds are six points behind currently third-placed Hearts ahead of the clash at Tynecastle.
They cannot allow the gap to be extended to nine points.
With only one defeat in their previous 10 games, Hearts are very unlikely to blow a nine-point lead if they triumph tonight.
However, a win for the Dons slashes the gap to three points and blows the race for third wide open again.
This is a battle between an in-form Hearts and a Dons side who have struggled to secure wins since returning from the winter break.
Aberdeen pushed Rangers hard in the League Cup semi-final and there were many positives to take from the game.
However the bottom line is that the Dons have won just one of their seven games in all competitions since returning from the Premiership shutdown.
A return of four points from a possible 18 is simply not good enough.
That form will end any hopes of third if not immediately fixed.
Hearts do not only have form on their side. They have also had an extra two days to prepare having beaten St Mirren on Friday night.
In contrast Aberdeen played 120 minutes (plus plenty of injury time) on an energy-sapping, heavy, rutted pitch at Hampden.
Tynecastle tonight is now the biggest game of the season.
The fight for third hangs in the balance.
If Aberdeen win, finishing third is an achievable target – but lose and it becomes a mammoth uphill task.
Aberdeen boxer an exciting talent
Aberdeen teenage boxer Gregor McPherson is in action on Friday when facing Jake Osgood at the Crowne Plaza, Glasgow.
It will be McPherson’s second professional fight after he comfortably defeated Logan Palling on his debut in Aberdeen in November.
The 18-year-old has already sparred with ring stars Kiko Martinez and Juan Felix Gomez.
Spaniard Martinez, 36, held the IBF featherweight title from 2021 to 2022 and the IBF super-bantamweight title from 2013 to 2014.
Martinez holds the EBU European featherweight title.
A multiple Scottish amateur champion, McPherson is an exciting prospect who is being tipped for future title glory.
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