Ex-referee reacts to red card in Rangers Scottish Premiership clash v Livingston on BBC
Livingston midfielder Stephane Omeonga was unlucky to be given a second yellow card for tripping up Rangers striker Kemar Roofe in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday (18 February), according to Stuart Dougal.
Omeonga was given his marching orders in the second half of the Gers’ comprehensive 3-0 win at the Almondvale Stadium for what looked like a tackle with minimal contact on Roofe, but in a dangerous area of the pitch.
The second yellow drew some speculation from Livingston boss David Martindale, and former referee Dougal believes it was a soft foul to be sent off for, and he would have liked to have taken a look at the VAR monitor before making a decision. [Daily Record, 18 February]
Speaking on BBC Sport’s The VARdict on Monday (20 February), he said: “I believe it is a yellow card, but not to lead to a red card.
“Some people might find that strange, but if you’re going to give a second yellow card it’s got to be believable, it’s got to be sellable.
“I think one of the problems here is that it’s not a clear and obvious error. I know it’s leading to a red card, but is it such a mistake?”
On whether he would consult VAR in this situation, the former whistler said: “Now if we [referees] were to go across every time there’s a second yellow card, just to make sure you’re happy with that second yellow card, that would give more VAR intervention. But I do think in a situation like that, I would like to go and have a little look at it.”
Fine margins
The tackle on Roofe was in a dangerous area of the pitch – just outside the penalty area – and was a little clumsy considering Omeonga was already on a yellow card, so it does look to be the correct decision when taking all the factors into consideration.
In the end, the sending-off didn’t have any major impact on the game, with Michael Beale’s side already 2-0 up and cruising to yet another win in the SPL. If the foul had been at a scoreline of 0-0 in the 80th minute, however, the decision may have been more harshly criticised.
The fact of the matter is that the Livingston player had to foul the lively Roofe, otherwise he was going to be in behind the back-four. A goal-scoring opportunity was likely to follow if the Gers man had continued his powerful run, and as a result, the second yellow was a just punishment.
Rangers will hope the decisions continue to go their way this weekend in their ViaPlay Cup final against Celtic at Hampden Park (Sunday 26 February).
In other Rangers news, Kenny Miller has questioned if the club need to make a marquee signing this summer.