Martindale blasts VAR after “clear” penalty denied in 2–1 defeat
Livingston manager David Martindale was left stunned and enraged after his side were denied a first half penalty in their 2 1 defeat to Rangers, accusing VAR of “ruining the game” and demanding an explanation from officials.
Speaking after the match, Martindale said he could not understand how a spot kick was not awarded when Tete Yengi’s shot struck the arm of Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez around the 20 minute mark. He was adamant: “Every single camera angle that I’ve watched shows it’s a clear handball.”
He described the decision as “baffling” and said the technology VAR was not applied properly in the moment. According to Martindale, “we’ve got the technology … it shows. Clearly it’s a penalty, but we don’t get the penalty.”
Martindale even suggested he would like Willie Collum, the referee, to call him and explain the decision though he admitted he did not want to pick that fight too publicly: “I probably won’t phone Willie … because by tomorrow I’d have just went ‘what’s the point ’”
He strongly rejected VAR’s explanation for not giving the penalty. According to the officials, Fernandez’s arm was considered to be in a “natural position,” and the proximity of the shot was apparently a factor. But Martindale countered that Fernandez “makes a motion towards the ball” and pointed out that the shot was on target.
The Livingston boss also warned that decisions like this have big consequences: “Big moments in games … have big, big impacts on clubs’ futures, on managers’ futures.”
Martindale said he was “really, really disappointed” with how VAR was used in the game. “When we’re spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on technology to get big decisions right … it’s disappointing.”
He clarified that his anger was not directed at the officials personally, but rather at the system: “I’m not going to sit here and batter officials … I just, for the life of me, don’t understand why we don’t get a pen there.”
Martindale also expressed frustration with what he sees as inconsistency in refereeing: “I know 100% if that’s at Livingston … against us, that is a penalty against us.”
He was particularly scathing about the idea of a post match apology: “An apology … is not going to help me on Monday morning … is not going to give me a point … is not going to give me three points.”
Beyond the penalty incident, Martindale suggested that other key moments in the match went against his side, but he saved his most bitter words for VAR. He concluded: “It feels unjust … something has to change very, very quickly.”
This was not the first time Martindale has publicly questioned VAR. In previous matches, he has highlighted concerns over how decisions are made and has argued that the system is not being used to its full potential.
For Livingston, the defeat is a painful one. They had battled back to 1 1 through Yengi’s goal but ultimately conceded a late winner. Martindale’s post match reaction underscores just how much the non award of that penalty means to him and his team particularly in a tight and consequential Premiership campaign.
