SFA statement on Rangers goal torn apart by Craig Levein and pundits as official explanation branded a 'LIE'
dailyrecord.co.ukThe SFA say whistler Matthew MacDermid didn't blow his whistle until AFTER Cyriel Dessers hit the back of the net - but St Johnstone boss Craig Levein reckons that's just an excuse for a clear mistake.Dessers' opening goal for Rangers against St Johnstone initially appeared to have been chalked off by whistler MacDermid, who appeared to gesture for a foul on Jack Sanders before the ball hit the back of the net.
The St Johnstone bench were then left raging when he was called over to the VAR screen to check the goal - which they feel shouldn't have been the case if the whistle was blown before the goal.Pundits like Neil McCann, Marvin Bartley and Michael Stewart all criticised the decision but the SFA argue that the whistle wasn't blown until after the goal was scored - making the incident and eventual overrule legitimate.
Their statement to the BBC read: "The whistle is blown after the goal is scored. The referee clearly communicates that he is going to award a foul after the goal is scored."That sparked a furious immediate reaction from in-studio pundit Ricky Foster who labelled it 'lies.' And it seems Saints boss Levein, who hadn't yet seen the statement when he went to the gantry for post-match media duties, would agree.
He said: "If he indicates it's a free-kick for us, which he did, and everybody's looking at him, and then he stops - that's a mistake on his part.
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