St Mirren have slammed the decision to snub their penalty claim against Ross County on Tuesday night after it emerged a VAR check should've been conducted for potential handball.
The Buddies took their gripes to Hampden in the wake of the controversial moment during the 1-1 draw with County in the Highlands.
Referee Chris Graham did not spot the infringement where defender Ryan Leak appeared to handle the ball when challenging in the air to defend his box.
VAR did not intervene and so there was no on-field review advised to the official.
Now, St Mirren has blasted the incident in a statement, revealing the Scottish FA's referee department agrees a check should've occured.
It reads: “St Mirren can confirm it has spoken to the Scottish Football Association’s Referee Department regarding the decision not to check for a penalty after a handball in Tuesday night’s draw with Ross County.
“The club believes VAR made an error by not recommending an On-Field Review following a handball by a Ross County defender in the first-half. Having been allowed to review the full VAR audio and footage it is clear there has been a mistake in the process.
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“There was a quick VAR review that centred around a shirt pull on James Bolton in the box. We also believe this could have been a penalty but understand that is subjective. However, the handball was a factual event, and the Referee Department has agreed that this should have led to an on-field review.
“While we welcome continued independent reviews aimed at making the process as robust as possible, and appreciate the openness and transparency from the referee department in reviewing this incident, we remain frustrated and disappointed that the correct process wasn’t followed on this occasion.”
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