Stephen Robinson expressed deep frustration with VAR following Aberdeen’s 1-0 defeat to Rangers at Pittodrie, claiming that Scottish football authorities actively suppress managers from speaking their minds.
The Dons boss felt aggrieved by two crucial decisions involving striker Kevin Nisbet. First, Aberdeen were denied a second-half penalty when Nisbet went down in the box under pressure from Dujon Sterling. Later, in the 83rd minute, Nisbet saw a potential equalizer chalked off after a VAR review determined he had pushed Sterling prior to heading the ball home.
When asked to address the contentious calls, Robinson insisted he could not offer a full critique without facing disciplinary action.
”If I could give my thoughts, I would, but the authorities make sure we don’t,” Robinson said. “If you hear it from me, I’ll get a six-game ban. I can’t control what VAR sees as not enough force and too much force. There wasn’t enough for Kevin to get a penalty, but there was enough to disallow the goal. They seemed quite similar to me, but I’m not a referee.”
Robinson confirmed he did not seek an explanation from referee Matthew MacDermid after the final whistle, stating he preferred to keep his distance to avoid touchline bans.
Rangers secured the victory in the 69th minute when Lawrence Shankland converted a penalty after Dan Happe brought down Djeidi Gassama. The result leaves Aberdeen with three points from their opening three Premiership matches as they prepare to face champions Celtic at Parkhead on Wednesday.
Despite the setback, Robinson highlighted positive signs from his newly assembled squad, which features 13 summer signings, while acknowledging that defensive mistakes ultimate cost his side the match.