VAR blunder in Dundee Derby: Finnigan booked for dive

The Incident

During Saturday’s Dundee Derby at Tannadice, Dundee United secured a 2-0 victory over rivals Dundee. The match was interrupted just before half-time when defender Abdoulaye Yoro was shown a yellow card by referee David Dickinson after an alleged foul on midfielder Ryan Finnigan. Yoro was judged to have brought Finnigan down on the edge of the box.

After a pause, Dickinson consulted the VAR team led by John Beaton. The review led to the original decision being overturned and Finnigan being booked for diving instead. The booking was issued after the referee returned to the field, having been advised that Yoro’s action was not a foul. Finnigan’s reaction was one of shock, as were viewers who saw the replay that showed Finnigan simply tripping over his own feet.

Reactions from Officials

Former referee Dermot Gallagher took to Sky Sports’ Refwatch to criticize the VAR decision. He described the VAR team as having been “microscopic” and argued that the booking was a mistake. Gallagher explained that the ball was caught by Finnigan’s foot, he lost balance, and the ball was tacked on, which is not a dive. He said the referee had been “hamstrung” by the VAR’s insistence that Finnigan had dived.

Pundit Jay Bothroyd echoed Gallagher’s sentiment, calling the booking “one of the worst decisions we’ve seen since VAR was introduced.” Bothroyd questioned how the referee could have decided Finnigan had dived when the footage showed a simple slip. He suggested that a drop-ball would have been the correct outcome.

Tim Sherwood also weighed in during the broadcast, asking why the referee could not have simply stated that the action was not a foul and not a dive. He labelled the decision “one of the worst” and urged the VAR to adopt a more common-sense approach.

Calls for a Drop Ball

Gallagher and Bothroyd eventually agreed on a single solution: a drop ball. Gallagher argued that if the referee had been sent to the screen, he should have clarified that the initial yellow was a mistake and that Finnigan had not dived, then restarted play from a drop ball. Bothroyd concurred, stating that this would have avoided the controversy and been accepted by all parties.

The incident has sparked debate over the role of VAR in high-stakes matches and the importance of clear communication between referees and the VAR team. Dundee United’s 2-0 win remains intact, but the booking controversy will likely linger in discussions of the match’s fairness.