THE REFEREE in Scotlandâs loss against Morocco has been described as DIABOLICAL and afraid to make big decisions.
What started off in Boston as an evening filled with hope, excitement and anticipation ended with fans up in arms about a poor refereeing performance.
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Some things never change, especially within Scottish football.
Scotland lost 1-0 to the reigning AFCON champions after losing a goal just 70 seconds into the match at the Boston Stadium.
Steve Clarkeâs men battled back in the second half and created chances but were unable to force Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou into serious action.
It means our hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages at the World Cup are teetering on the edge.
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But could things have been oh so different had a certain referee seen things differently?
Boss Clarke said Morocco were lucky to escape without having conceded at least one penalty.
And he questioned the call not to send Issa Diop off for his last-man pull on Che Adams in the first half.
Clarke wasnât the only one to doubt whether ref Ilgiz Tantashev got the big decisions right.
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One of those was ex-Celtic and Aberdeen striker Mark McGhee.
John McGinn and Scott McTominay both went down inside the box in the second half but the Uzbek whistler saw nothing doing.
McGhee was on commentary duty for talkSPORT at the game and blasted the inaction during the McTominay incident.
He said: âHeâs tripped his toe, heâs touched his toe.
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âItâs a stonewall penalty kick⊠Iâm not having it, thatâs a penalty kick.â
Soon after, the former Scotland cap was prompted to launch into a scathing assessment of the referee.
Tantashev was indeed rather reluctant to blow for fouls and seemed inconsistent with his cards.
And McGhee raged: âThe refereeâs performance has been diabolical.
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âHeâs a non-referee, heâs not making decisions, taking pressure off himself. Shocking.â
The pundits in the ITV studio were split on the McTominay incident, with former Rangers and Everton striker Duncan Ferguson and ref expert Christina Umkel insisting the ref and the VAR team were in the wrong.
But Roy Keane and Ange Postecoglou said they didnât think the challenge warranted a penalty.
What started off in Boston as an evening filled with hope, excitement and anticipation ended with fans up in arms about a poor refereeing performance.
Advertisement
Some things never change, especially within Scottish football.
Scotland lost 1-0 to the reigning AFCON champions after losing a goal just 70 seconds into the match at the Boston Stadium.
Steve Clarkeâs men battled back in the second half and created chances but were unable to force Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou into serious action.
It means our hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages at the World Cup are teetering on the edge.
Advertisement
But could things have been oh so different had a certain referee seen things differently?
Boss Clarke said Morocco were lucky to escape without having conceded at least one penalty.
And he questioned the call not to send Issa Diop off for his last-man pull on Che Adams in the first half.
Clarke wasnât the only one to doubt whether ref Ilgiz Tantashev got the big decisions right.
Advertisement
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One of those was ex-Celtic and Aberdeen striker Mark McGhee.
John McGinn and Scott McTominay both went down inside the box in the second half but the Uzbek whistler saw nothing doing.
McGhee was on commentary duty for talkSPORT at the game and blasted the inaction during the McTominay incident.
He said: âHeâs tripped his toe, heâs touched his toe.
Advertisement
âItâs a stonewall penalty kick⊠Iâm not having it, thatâs a penalty kick.â
Soon after, the former Scotland cap was prompted to launch into a scathing assessment of the referee.
Tantashev was indeed rather reluctant to blow for fouls and seemed inconsistent with his cards.
And McGhee raged: âThe refereeâs performance has been diabolical.
Advertisement
âHeâs a non-referee, heâs not making decisions, taking pressure off himself. Shocking.â
The pundits in the ITV studio were split on the McTominay incident, with former Rangers and Everton striker Duncan Ferguson and ref expert Christina Umkel insisting the ref and the VAR team were in the wrong.
But Roy Keane and Ange Postecoglou said they didnât think the challenge warranted a penalty.
