Dermot Gallagher insists English Premier League referees would have awarded a penalty for Michael Smith’s handball against Celtic on VAR debut weekend in the Premiership but says a “slightly different tolerance level” saw the Hearts man escape.
The former top whistler assessed big decisions over the first round of fixtures using the video technology with the ball striking Smith’s arm from James Forrest’s cross not even considered worthy of a full check from VAR official Steven McLean. Asked about that incident on his weekly Sky Sports Ref Watch, Gallagher said: “In the Premier League that would have been a penalty. It bounces up, his arm is out. It’s not massively out but that’s what they do in Scotland where they have a slightly different tolerance level to where the arm is out.”
Anthony Ralston had a goal disallowed after a foul in the build up with many believing it had been wrongly chopped off for offside. Gallagher said: “The referee gives a foul early. He whistles very early before the ball goes in the net. He doesn’t give offside but it’s for a foul on Giakoumakis. The check is for offside as a matter of a course but the referee has whistled so it eliminated that.”
Cameron Carter-Vickers conceded the first of Hearts’ two penalties for wiping out Cammy Devlin before a similar tackle by Moritz Jenz saw a second spot kick awarded with Lawrence Shankland netting that one at the second attempt following a retake after Josh Ginnelly was penalised for encroachment when he netted the rebound.
Gallagher said on the first penalty: “It’s definitely the right call. You see the ball learned and Carter-Vickers clears him out. It’s a penalty.”
On the second and the afters, he added: “It’s a similar tackle. The Hearts player gets there first and Jenz catches him. What’s interesting is what develops afterwards (encroachment) and it was a very good spot by the VAR and this is where it works - absolutely spot on.
“If you look, the player who puts the ball in the net was the player who was in the penalty area. They talk about impact and he put the ball in the net so it was an advantage and it was right to be retaken.”
VAR was also required at Ibrox where David Munro sent off Morgan Boyes for a foul on Alfredo Morelos after initially showing a yellow card. Gallagher said: “I honestly thought it was a yellow card but when you see it again then I fully agree with VAR. The referee thought it was a booking but when he went to the screen he could see the VAR picked up what he didn’t see and that’s the benefit of VAR. The on-field decision was yellow card and so would mine in real time but the VAR did him a massive favour - it’s definitely a red card.”
Gallagher added: “You’ve got to bear in mind people said it took time to make decisions at the weekend but it’s going to because they’re learning on the job so to speak. But that was the same in England two or three years ago."
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