Motherwell Captain Slams VAR Red Card 'Madness' in Scottish Football

Motherwell captain Paul McGinn has branded the recent spate of red cards in Scottish football for denying a goalscoring opportunity as complete madness — and says the Scottish Football Association (SFA) needs to get a grip on an issue spiralling out of control.

Fir Park Fury Over Aberdeen Dismissal

The 35-year-old defender was stunned during his side's 2-0 Scottish Cup loss at Aberdeen on Wednesday night when they were reduced to nine men. This occurred after defender Liam Gordon tripped home forward Toyosi Olusanya just inside his own half.

McGinn felt both he and Stephen O'Donnell were providing cover and could barely believe it when referee John Beaton, who had initially flashed a yellow card for the foul, was called to the pitchside monitor by VAR official Chris Graham. Beaton then performed a U-turn by upgrading Gordon's booking to a sending-off.

"It's happened four times recently," McGinn stated. "It's not an isolated incident. I'm talking to all the Aberdeen players on the park and they're all agreeing it can't be a red card. I think they've just got themselves into a wee issue where they're trying to defend the last decision, if they do it consistently. I don't think that's the right thing to do. For me, they're all not red cards."

A Pattern of Controversial Decisions

McGinn insists his frustration stems from a background of other recent sendings-off in similar circumstances, including:

Celtic's Auston Trusty being dismissed in his side's 2-2 league draw at Hearts last month after a yellow card for bringing down Pierre Landry Kabore was changed to a red following a VAR review.
Falkirk defender Liam Henderson being deemed to have denied a goalscoring opportunity when fouling Max Watters on halfway during his side's 3-2 home loss to Dundee United last Saturday, with a yellow upgraded to red after a video replay.
Dundee United's Iurie Iovu receiving an early bath in the opening minutes of the Tannadice side's home cup win over Spartans for a bodycheck on Cameron Russell.

McGinn believes officials have dug themselves into a hole by continuing to give these decisions to justify previous mistakes. He reckons SFA refereeing chief Willie Collum, who has been contacted by Motherwell for an explanation of Gordon's dismissal, must take immediate action.

Brotherly Support and On-Field Restraint

McGinn, who saw his younger brother and Scotland star John label VAR in Scotland 'a mess' on social media site X, acknowledged the familial support but emphasized on-field discipline. "He'd better not target me now," said the Motherwell defender. "That's on him. I think he was probably just frustrated watching it as he couldn't do anything about it, but, yeah, we did well not to boil over on the pitch."

At the time of Gordon's sending-off, Motherwell and Aberdeen were both already down to ten men. Oscar Priestman was red-carded for the visitors after a second-minute foul on Lyall Cameron at the edge of the box, and home midfielder Dennis Geiger followed after a VAR review for a high tackle on Lukas Fadinger.

Regarding Priestman's expulsion, McGinn commented: "From where I was, I don't think Cameron's getting the ball and I was kind of hoping that would come into consideration, but he slips and it's right on the edge of the box. If Cameron does get it, it's probably a goal, so that one I can almost understand. I think it's unlucky, but I can understand."

Cup Dreams Dashed and Call for Change

McGinn had regarded Motherwell as serious contenders for the Scottish Cup and admits that makes the events at Pittodrie all the more difficult to accept. "It's frustrating," he said. "I'd imagine, after Rangers, we were probably the second favourites."

In responding to Beaton's U-turn, Fir Park manager Jens Berthel Askou said: "It is a mystery and will remain a mystery for as long as I live how they can change that decision."

McGinn concluded with a stark warning: "They'd better fix it and fix it fast. As I said, I think it's something they need to nip in the bud quite quickly." His call for clarity and consistency echoes growing concerns about the application of VAR in Scottish football, highlighting a need for the SFA to address what many are now viewing as an embarrassing trend for the game.