S Poddar
Scotland’s plea for a penalty in their final Euro 2024 group match against Hungary was rightly dismissed because Stuart Armstrong had initiated contact with Hungarian defender Willi Orban, according to UEFA’s head of referees.
Argentine referee Facundo Tello faced criticism from Scotland’s head coach Steve Clarke after Hungary’s 1-0 win, which led to Scotland’s exit from the tournament. However, Roberto Rosetti, UEFA’s managing director of refereeing, defended the decision during a briefing on officiating in Germany.
Rosetti explained that the incident was reviewed by the VAR team, which concluded that there was no need for an on-field review by Tello. He also noted a potential handball by Scotland’s John McGinn earlier in the match that was not called.
Reflecting on the match, Rosetti acknowledged it was challenging and filled with contentious moments. One key moment was in the 68th minute when McGinn appeared to pull an opponent’s shirt just before the incident involving Armstrong. In the 79th minute, another controversial moment occurred in Hungary’s penalty area when Armstrong moved towards Orban, which was interpreted as initiating contact.
Rosetti emphasized that VAR reviews every incident thoroughly. In this case, the VAR team believed that Armstrong’s movement towards Orban constituted physical contact intended to challenge the defender.
When asked if Tello would continue to officiate in the knockout stages, Rosetti did not provide a direct answer, only mentioning that it is common for some top referees to leave tournaments early.
Rosetti also supported the decision to award a penalty and a red card to Scotland’s Ryan Porteous in their opening match against Germany, calling it a “good decision by the referee and a very good intervention by the VAR.”
