St Mirren have released a statement expressing their ‘frustration and disappointment’ with a ‘clear mistake’ made by VAR officials during their 1-1 draw with Ross County on Tuesday night.
Fans and pundits were left puzzled when County defender Ryan Leak’s first-half handball inside the penalty area went unpunished. Referee Chris Graham was not advised to have a second look at the incident by the video assistant referee. The club’s statement reads:
“St Mirren Football Club can confirm it has spoken to the Scottish Football Association’s Referee Department regarding the decision not to check for a penalty after a handball in Tuesday night’s draw with Ross County.
“The club believes VAR made an error by not recommending an On-Field Review following a handball by a Ross County defender in the first-half.
“Having been allowed to review the full VAR audio and footage it is clear there has been a mistake in the process. There was a quick VAR review that centred around a shirt pull on James Bolton in the box. We also believe this could have been a penalty but understand that is subjective. However, the handball was a factual event, and the Referee Department has agreed that this should have led to an On-Field Review.
While we welcome continued independent reviews aimed at making the process as robust as possible, and appreciate the openness and transparency from the Referee Department in reviewing this incident, we remain frustrated and disappointed that the correct process wasn’t followed on this occasion.”
