Aberdeen continued their excellent start to the season at the weekend with a tough 2-1 win over Dundee at Dens Park.
Goals from Topi Keskinen and Kevin Nisbet put Jimmy Thelin’s side 2-0 up within 32 minutes until a Simon Murray penalty pulled one back for Tony Docherty’s team in the 45th minute.
However, Aberdeen held out for the win to keep themselves within touching distance of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table where the current Scottish champions hold a 12-goal advantage.
But it was the challenge by Aberdeen’s Gavin Molloy that caused the penalty to be awarded that has come under the microscope of former SFA referee, Des Roache, who believes that 22-year-old defender was lucky not to recieve his marching orders.
Roache ‘surprised’ Dundee boss didn’t make ‘more’ of potential red card
Match referee Calum Scott awarded the spot kick but only delivered a yellow to Molloy and it was that decision that ‘surprised’ the former Category One SFA referee.
Roache told the Behind The Whistles podcast, “I think it should have been [a red card]. Yeah, I do. I’m actually quite surprised that there’s not really been much made about it, but he’s going through and goal.
“What’s Molloy done? He’s kicked him. The goalkeeper’s coming out, he’s going forward. Is he going to score? Is he going to have a shot at goal?
“Yes, he’s not going to score. Obviously, we don’t know that until the phase of play plays out. But is it denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity?
“If you’re not getting kicked up the backside, then it obviously is. So, yeah, I’m quite surprised that it wasn’t a red card.
“I’m quite surprised that Tony Docherty hasn’t made more of it.”
Refereeing continues to cause controversy in Scottish football
VAR was first introduced to Scottish football on October 2021 after referees reportedly backed bringing in the video technology to help them come to the correct decisions in instances like these.
But since then the Scottish game has been dogged with controversy over the past two seasons.
However, with Willie Collum looking to offer more transparency over how the technology is used to help match referees come to decsions.
But it does look like the SFA Head of Referees is going to have a tough one trying to explain this decision as to why a red card wasn’t brandished in the first place and why VAR didn’t intervene to help Callum Scott come to the correct decision as it does seem like a clear and obvious error was made.