Former SPFL referee Stuart Dougal has unequivocally backed Alan Muir’s decision to dismiss Charlie Mulgrew during Dundee United’s 1-0 defeat against St Johnstone.
Mulgrew, 37, was given his marching orders after tripping Melker Hallberg on the touchline, halting a promising Saints breakaway.
Despite the Swede’s distance from the box, Muir decided that the veteran stopper had thwarted a clear goal-scoring opportunity due to the lack of covering defenders.
United boss Jim Goodwin stated that the club would analyse all footage of the incident before deciding whether or not to launch an appeal.
Speaking on the BBC’s VARdict feature, ex top-flight whistler Dougal made it clear that he believed any challenge of the decision would be futile.
“A lot of people were questioning: was it a clear and obvious goalscoring opportunity,” said Dougal. “Well, where is the covering defender?
“If this player (Melker Hallberg) — who is getting past Charlie Mulgrew — does get away, it’s GOT to be an obvious goalscoring opportunity based on the pictures (below) we can see.
“I appreciate it is not the exact point where the tackle was made, but it is a great still to show how far back the defenders were if the attacker gets past Charlie.
“Charlie knows what he is doing and you can see him lifting his leg to make sure — thou shalt not pass.
“He (Hallberg) is moving toward the penalty area.
“A lot of people are having difficulty with the law — but it is hard to criticise the decision because, by the laws of the game, the referee has got it spot on.”
The Law
He continued: “If you don’t think it’s a red card, then it’s the law that you are having a problem with; not the match officials or VAR.”
And Dougal dismissed suggestions that Hallberg would have struggled to reach the ball in order to get a shot away.
“The ball was not within playing distance but certainly within a distance that he would have got to it before a defender could, or even the goalkeeper,” added Dougal. “It’s got to be a red card.”
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