VAR has checked and validated the decision not to award Scotland a penalty in their crucial Euro 2024 group game against Hungary, UEFA’s refereeing chief Roberto Rosetti has said.
Scotland felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Stuart Armstrong was tackled by defender Willi Orban but their appeal was rejected by Argentinian referee Facundo Tello.
Rosetti said on Friday that VAR had reviewed the incident and decided Armstrong had moved towards the defender and made contact.
Hungary won the match 1-0, a result that eliminated Scotland from the tournament.
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke said it was ‘100 per cent’ a penalty and questioned the VAR goal ‘if they’re not going to step up for something like that “.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Scotland manager Steve Clarke has questioned the value of VAR after Stuart Armstrong was not awarded a penalty in their 1-0 defeat to Hungary.
Rosetti was asked about the incident during a referees meeting on Friday and said: “It was a very, very difficult match with some controversial incidents. There was one in the 68th minute where there was a possibility of a penalty, because John McGinn pulled the opponent’s jersey.
“Then there was the incident in the 79th minute. The striker Armstrong was in front of the Hungarian (Orban). If you look from the camera behind, there was a movement from the striker towards the Hungarian.
“The VARs check everything, the VAR checked this situation. They decided it was just physical contact trying to challenge the defender.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Kris Boyd says he didn’t understand why Scotland didn’t get a penalty in their match against Hungary
Rosetti would not say whether he thought the decision was the right one.
Rosetti confirmed that Tello had been appointed as the fourth official for Saturday’s last-16 match between Switzerland and Italy.
Dean: I’m surprised the penalty wasn’t given.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Former referee Mike Dean was surprised Scotland were denied a “clear penalty” following Willi Orban’s challenge on Stuart Armstrong.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean said Sky Sports News:
“I was a little surprised, to be honest, there was a little tangle at the beginning, but it’s a clear foul, a clear knee to the back of the calf.
“I thought the referee was going to call a foul in real time, that’s what everyone watching the game felt. I was even more surprised that VAR didn’t intervene.
“I think VAR would be involved, he probably looked at it and the referee gave some sort of explanation, maybe a leg tangle or the striker caused the contact.
“But whichever way you look at it, it’s a clear penalty. They would have looked at it, and the VAR just agreed with the referee – wrongly in my opinion, in everyone’s opinion judging by the sound of it.
“Scotland defended well and had chances. If they were 1-0 up, I couldn’t see Hungary scoring a goal with the way they defended for the rest of the game.
“It’s just one of those things. I was surprised it wasn’t given. The referee probably saw a tangle, but if I was an attacker and I went through a defender and I felt contact, you expect a penalty to be awarded by the referee, assistant or VAR.
“The referees are at this tournament for a reason, they are the best in Europe or South America for that matter. You are there to make the big decisions, the guys made big decisions throughout the competition; This is the first, apart from Anthony Taylor’s against France on Friday, where we talk about the referee and VAR.”
