Scottish referees’ Key Match Incident (KMI) panel has reviewed a number of contentious calls from Scottish Premiership matches in the past week. They highlighted bias and inconsistencies in the way officiating impacted outcomes for all teams. The most important of these was the case of Derek Cornelius at Scottish club Hibernian. His initial goal was ruled out for a foul on Hearts keeper Alexander Schwolow. The panel’s evaluation included Dundee United’s disciplinary appeals and the awarding of penalties, stirring debate among supporters and officials alike.
Derek Cornelius scored his first-ever goal in whitecaps colors in the first half against Hearts. His target was ruled out by the video assistant referee after a supposed foul on Schwolow by Donyell Malen. The panel’s review concluded that “the on-field decision was incorrect,” suggesting that Cornelius’s control of the ball prior to scoring should not have been deemed a foul.
VAR Decisions at the Forefront
The KMI panel’s inquiry looked into the quality of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) interventions. At one point in a lively debate, two members of the panel came out swinging against the VAR intervention. They felt the handball penalty kick should never have been awarded in the first place during the game. One member pushed back on this characterization, showing that the jury is probably still out on this issue.
The vast majority of the panel members were in agreement on this split regarding another penalty given to Hearts. This decision came after Mohamed Diomande tripped up Harry Milne. While two members upheld that the decision was correct, one member contended that “a VAR intervention should have taken place and the goal should have stood following an OFR.” This discrepancy shows that the tension between VAR and refereeing is still present.
Appeals and Outcomes
Dundee United achieved a other big win when they had a red card given to player Sevelj overturned on appeal. This milestone accomplishment represents a very different way of doing disciplinary business for the club. On the other hand, although Dundee tried to challenge another decision on appeal, the KMI panel upheld that expelling Sevelj from the competition was necessary and appropriate.
Hibernian took advantage of the resulting penalty from the handball foul, converting it successfully and settling for the draw. This shocking result has led to understandable concerns and questions around the officiating standards from match to match. It has further undermined the integrity of VAR systems to base weighty decisions upon.
“VAR was incorrect not to intervene to recommend an OFR and the goal should have been disallowed for a handball.” – Scottish FA’s Key Match Incident Panel
“The VAR intervention was incorrect and a penalty kick should not have been awarded for a handball.” – Scottish FA’s Key Match Incident Panel
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