Two former top referees have condemned the VAR decision that led to Kai Fotheringham’s controversial red card against Rangers, with one describing it as “bonkers”.
The St Johnstone attacker was dismissed late in his side’s 4-0 defeat at Ibrox after referee Chris Graham upgraded an initial yellow card following a VAR review prompted by Andrew Dallas.
Fotheringham had protested his innocence after sliding in on Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin in difficult conditions, with officials ruling that the challenge endangered his opponent.
Former FIFA official Bobby Madden believes the tackle fell well short of serious foul play and insists the dismissal was the wrong call. Speaking on So Near, Yet So VAR, he said: “The contact is absolutely minimal. You need to look at the full criteria. And for me, it doesn’t meet it.”
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg also came to Fotheringham’s defence, arguing that modern football has become too focused on freeze-frame images rather than viewing incidents in real time.
He said: “If you look at the point of contact, and this is what destroys me, you’ll see it on Twitter, and that still image. If it weren’t a red card, everybody would be showing that picture and going, ‘How’s that not a red card?’
“But you don’t see the context of it. This is the problem with still pictures. This is the way the game has gone now. It’s bonkers.”
The dismissal had little impact on the outcome, with Rangers already cruising to a comfortable victory. Nevertheless, the decision has become one of the biggest talking points from the match and has reignited debate about the use of VAR in Scottish football.
St Johnstone were already well beaten by the time Fotheringham was sent off, but the nature of the call will frustrate the club and its supporters. The challenge on Raskin appeared to be a sliding tackle made in wet conditions, and both Madden and Clattenburg believe the contact did not warrant a dismissal.
Their comments add to growing scrutiny over how VAR is applied, particularly regarding slow-motion replays and still images that can make challenges appear worse than they are in real time. Clattenburg’s remarks highlight a wider concern that officials are being influenced by isolated frames rather than the full context of an incident.
Rangers secured the three points with a dominant display, but the post-match discussion centred largely on the red card rather than the scoreline. St Johnstone will now assess whether to appeal the decision as they prepare for their next fixture.
The controversy is unlikely to fade quickly, with pundits and former officials continuing to question the consistency of refereeing decisions across the Scottish Premiership. For Fotheringham, the red card represents a frustrating moment in an already difficult afternoon for his side.