Michael Stewart has launched a blistering attack on the SFA and officials after James Jeggo's red card for Hibernian against St Johnstone today.
Hibs secured their place in the top six of the Scottish Premiership on a day when veteran Lewis Stevenson scored a rare goal in the 32nd minute to cancel out Stevie May's opener for the hosts. Boss Lee Johnson launched a blistering attack on referee Craig Napier and his fellow officials after being left flabbergasted by what he felt was a "horrendous decision" to send off Jeggo.
During his post-match interview Johnson let rip at what he branded the worst officiating he has ever witnessed after the red card shown to Australian midfielder Jeggo early in the second half for a challenge on Saints' Connor McLennan on the halfway line. And Johnson admits he does not "trust" the Scottish Football Association's disciplinary system to overturn the decision. Former Hibernian midfielder and Sportscene pundit Stewart also hit out at the governing body saying the challenge didn't even warrant a yellow card.
He said: "It is a ludicrous decision, James Jeggo wins the ball. McLennan clearly gets hurt but Lee Johnson summed it up perfectly there, it is a contact sport. If you want to eliminate the risk of anybody hurting themselves then you will have a very boring game.
"It is like parents who mollycoddle their kids, you are going to produce kids that aren't going to be able to sample life to its fullest. Football is a contact sport. At times you are going to make contact with the opposition and you might get hurt but things like that it's incredible that officials can look at that, VAR officials in the studio watching that, and still thinking that the referee has made the right decision.
"I've got no doubt that the furore around the Graeme Shinnie thing in the week has played its part as well. The way the SFA have vociferous gone back and said that this was an appeal that had no chance of being successful, and adding a game onto it, those things will be playing in the back of the minds of the officials when you see things like that.
"That is a ludicrous decision, should never be a red card, shouldn't even be a yellow card because he wins the ball."
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