"It's like CSI": Ex-EPL referee delivers verdict on controversial Hibs and Hearts penalty decisions

Former English Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has slammed the time it took to award Dundee United their late penalty against Hibs at the weekend.

The Easter Road outfit were embroiled in VAR controversy at the end of their 1-1 draw with Dundee United on Sunday, with Hibs head coach David Gray left exasperated when the visitors were awarded a 90th-minute penalty after a VAR review deemed Mykola Kuharevich had pulled the jersey of Emmanuel Adegoboyega in the area.

Sam Dalby equalised from the spot, while Kuharevich was sent off for a second bookable offence. However, only moments later VAR intervened again when goal scorer Dalby appeared to grab the shirt of Warren O’Hora in the area as the clock ticked towards full-time, though referee Colin Steven was this time not advised to go to his monitor.

Referee Colin Steven talks to his VAR assistant before awarding Dundee United a late penalty at Easter Road. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

A frustrated Gray called out the “inconsistency” of both decisions, conceding that he actually didn’t feel “either of them were a penalty”, and now top former EPL referee Gallagher admitted has thrown his weight behind the Hibs boss, while speaking on Sky Sports.

“To me, that’s definitely not clear and obvious [Kuharevich’s red card and penalty],” said Gallagher. “The unfortunate thing is that once he’s gone to the screen and decided that is a foul, he then goes back and yellow cards the player. It is very difficult to justify a four-minute look at the screen to find a shirt pull. I just don’t think you can look at something for four minutes. It’s like CSI, isn’t it?

Gallagher was also perplexed by the decision to ignore the shirt pull on O’Hora, adding: “He actually gave a foul for the Hibs player behind. If you look behind, he gives a foul for that. You can look and look and look - and you’ll always find something. I can’t explain it. It’s too long to look at one, and the other one he gave a foul for the player climbing over the top. I think they should both be deemed the same - you either give both or you don’t.”

Hearts' Cammy Devlin (R) is shown a yellow card by Referee Chris Graham for a foul on St Johnstone's Kyle Cameron in the penalty area. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

Fellow Edinburgh outfit Hearts were also affected by a VAR decision at St Johnstone on Saturday, with referee Chris Graham called to the monitor by VAR official Josh Reid after Cammy Devlin was adjudged to have wrestled Kyle Cameron to the ground inside the box following Graham Carey’s corner.

The decision saw the Saints level the scores at 1-1, though Hearts would still emerge victorious at McDiarmid Park when substitute Kenneth Vargas bagged a late winner.

Despite taking all three points, Hearts boss Neil Critchley poured scorn on the decision, saying: “if you’re going to give penalties for those decisions we’ll be having 10-a-game I think”.

In this instance though, Gallagher had no arguments with the penalty being awarded, insisting the officials had got the decision spot-on in Perth.

“It is a rugby tackle, isn’t it?” he said. “It is a foul. Good intervention, it is a rugby tackle to the ground. I do wonder what the referee is looking at, because you see where he is and you wonder if he is watching the ball coming over like referees do. Why watch a ball coming over in the air? There’s not really a foul up there, watch what happens in the box. You’re looking for impact and where the ball is going to land.”