Derek McInnes has demanded the SFA refereeing department up its game as he continues to fume over the penalty Kilmarnock didn't get.
The Ayrshire side drew 1-1 at home to St Johnstone at the weekend. But they should have been awarded a spot kick when Andy Considine clearly handled in the Saints’ box, with replays showing his arm was well above his head in a blatant case of handling in the area.
But not only did official Mike Graham or any of his assistants fail to award a penalty, a VAR check inexplicably came to the same conclusion to leave McInnes dumbfounded and furious. He revealed that Killie have written to the Hampden beaks for an explanation, but wants improvements rather than apologies as he cited the cost of VAR that clubs are paying per game, only to be let down when they need it, sometimes for even basic calls.
He said: “It’s incumbent of the club to do that, because we feel really hard done by and we’re paying a lot of money for the technology to modernise our game. I was a big champion of VAR and all the managers got behind it because we wanted to help the referees, we wanted the league to be as modern as possible and make those improvements.
“Other than the offside law, where you can see categorically that there’s an improvement on these decisions, there’s still the usual debates. It’s people’s perception of incidents that needs to improve.
“But I also felt in my conversation with the refereeing department on Monday that I don’t want apologies. I’m fed up getting apologies. I want fairness, I want competence and people making the right decisions. Not just for my team, but for everybody.
“I feel we were so harshly treated at the weekend, and it's not the first time. But I think we’re in danger of a lot of the referees - the younger ones who are coming through - who are getting so used to refereeing a game with VAR, that they need to get back to being good referees making their decisions there and then.
“The referee should have spotted - I didn't know at the time post-match because I didn’t have his view - that it was a handball. We also feel there was a handball from Liam Gordon in the first half in the six yard box.
“But the one everyone is talking about, the one with Considine, that should be seen by all the officials there. Not the referee thinking: ‘Well, it looks like a penalty but VAR will soon tell me if it is or not’. Then you're relying on the capabilities of the guy in the VAR room.
“We have been so badly let down in that instance. I’m so angry about it and it’s time that the refereeing department really upped their game and start justifying why there was this demand and need to have VAR in.”
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