Dundee United head coach Liam Fox believes “common sense” prevailed after the red card shown to Tony Watt last weekend was rescinded.
An independent fast-track panel deemed Watt’s challenge on Motherwell midfielder Sean Goss worthy of a caution, and downgraded the decision at an appeal hearing on Wednesday morning.
As such, the former Celtic striker will be available to face his former club at Parkhead on Saturday.
While “frustrated” that referee John Beaton’s contentious call contributed to a damaging 1-0 defeat at Tannadice, Fox is circumspect about VAR’s introduction — and its inevitable “teething problems“.
“We are pleased that common sense has prevailed,” said Fox.
“We are still a bit frustrated because we can’t get that second half back.
“But to counter that, I was a big advocate for VAR. I can’t go in a massive cream puff if there are some teething problems.
“I just hope that everyone involved learns from the situation. If they have more angles and better footage, even if it takes a wee bit longer to get to the right decision, then so be it.”
Slicker
Beaton, perfectly positioned, did not initially believe Watt’s challenge was even worthy of a foul, waving play on.
However, he was called over to the sideline monitor by VAR David Munro and presented with a package of angles and a still image which suggested the tackle was a red card offence.
In the aftermath, further footage emerged which cast serious doubt on the decision — and ultimately led to the u-turn.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” acknowledged Fox. “There’s a willingness to accept the mistake rather than double down and that’s encouraging.
“We always knew there would be issues — unfortunately for us, it came at our cost. It might be someone else next week.
“Is that (red card) the sole reason we lost the game? No, it isn’t. But it definitely made taking something from the game harder.
“We are not looking for excuses. We are just looking for the process to be slicker, better and get the decisions right.”
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