Nick Walsh had no choice but to send off Alex Cochrane after he'd seen his foul on Daizen Maeda from every angle, according to former whistler Stuart Dougal.
Cochrane saw red late in the first half for a last-man foul on Maeda as Celtic went on to win 2-0 and clinch the title at Tynecastle. It was the pivotal turning point in the game as Hearts gave good account of themselves in the first half but were unable to match Ange Postecoglou's team when reduced to ten, as the champions won it through strikes from Kyogo and Hyeongyu Oh.
Whistler Walsh initially booked left-back Cochrane but after a VAR review was recommended by Willie Collum behind the screens, Maeda was deemed to have been the last man. That sparked widespread controversy over whether it was an obvious goalscoring opportunity, given the relatively unfavourable angle with the challenge taking place on the right flank outside the box.
But Dougal, speaking on the BBC's VARdict, reckons it was an example of VAR doing it's job - claiming Walsh had no other choice after viewing it from a wide angle. He said "First and foremost, VAR thinks that there is a clear and obvious error. The match referee has got a certain angle, he doesn't have a particularly wide angle so I can understand why he may have thought it was a yellow.
"But when (the clip) is stopped there, for me there's no doubt that he is denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. And therefore, it is a red card.
"I fully understand that some people think it's harsh but VAR can't be criticised there for getting the referee across. And if we bear in mind that Nick Walsh is one of our more experienced referees now, with the naked eye he thinks it's a yellow, but Willie Collum on VAR thinks it's more than that and gives Nick a chance to have a look at it.
"He can then see what Willie Collum can see because he has a wider angle. So another very good example of how VAR is helping the referee to get the right outcome as per the laws of the game. Of course people might think it's harsh, but that is the law."
Host Alasdair Lamont then asked if it could really be deemed a clear and obvious error from Walsh given how much debate has surrounded the decision since. But Dougal went on: "We don't look at whether the player is fast, we look at where the ball is going. I would argue that most players, even at amateur level, if they're not fouled, they would have a shot on goal there, and (say) it's an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
"The players running back there are doing just that, they're running back. They're not in front of the play, they're running back to catch Maeda the same way Cochrane was. I know the referee doesn't have another option but to send him off there once he's seen it from all the angles."
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