James McPake has been in touch with the SFA after being left concerned by the failure to award a red card in Dunfermline’s recent game with Airdrie.
And the Pars boss has revealed that he was told there SHOULD have been a sending off in the first-half of the 2-0 loss.
The Fifers were angered by referee Duncan Williams’ decision to show only a yellow card to Airdrie skipper Adam Frizzell following a challenge on Miles Welch-Hayes in the 27th minute.
The tackle sparked a melee involving players from both sides as Welch-Hayes writhed in agony on the ground.
Footage shows that Frizzell caught the on-loan Livingston defender high on the knee with his studs.
McPake has stressed he is in no way pointing the finger of blame at Frizzell, insisting ‘he’s not that type of player’.
But he is mystified as to why Williams and his far-side assistant failed to deem it a red-card offence, claiming the stand-side linesman had recommended a dismissal.
Following conversations with Crawford Allan, the SFA’s head of football operations, McPake says that view has been supported by the Hampden hierarchy.
But the Dunfermline manager has spoken out as he feels officials need to take more responsibility on the pitch to prevent potentially career-threatening challenges from going unpunished.
‘Apologetic’
He told Courier Sport: “I don’t think Adam Frizzell has meant to ‘do’ him, that’s the first thing I think I need to say.
“He’s not that type of player. From speaking to him, he was apologetic about it. There’s no blame with him at all.
“But I’m disappointed that the referee and the assistant could miss that. I’ve seen the view both of them have got and it’s poor officiating.
“The one on our side, fair play to him, he was saying through his mic, ‘it’s a red card’.
“I’ve spoken to Crawford Allan since then, just to go over it and make sure what we’re seeing is right.
“But it doesn’t really help us when they turn round a couple of days later and say, ‘yes, it was a stonewall red card’.
“We all make mistakes, but I think that is a mistake you can’t make.
“The referee gave a half-decent explanation after the game. He just said he didn’t think there was enough intent in the tackle to merit a red card.
“He questioned the speed and the endangering of an opponent.
“But I would say there was more danger to the player than there was, for example, in the recent red card Celtic got against Hearts.
“They’ve got to take in the welfare of the player, because if Miles gets caught properly there then it’s potentially a career-ending injury for him.”
‘A reckless tackle’
McPake went on: “Had there been VAR, everyone says it would have been a red card. But I think that’s just papering over the cracks, the fact that it would have required VAR to send a player off.
“Where’s the decision-making on the pitch, when pretty much everybody in the stadium could see it was a reckless tackle?
“They got away with it a wee bit, because Miles is okay.
“But what happens if his career is over? It might then get the spotlight on it. But it’s not Celtic or Rangers or an Edinburgh derby where it’s plastered everywhere and all the pundits are coming out and having a go.
“I think there should be equal measures. If they get something wrong in this league they need to be held accountable.
“If I get team selections wrong repeatedly we’ll lose games and I could lose my job. I’m not saying I want that to happen to referees but they’ve got to be better.”
McPake has praised Williams for being approachable after the match, and Allan for the way he handles conversations with managers, but has called for improvements.
He added: “Crawford’s great. Every time you phone him he’s outstanding to deal with.
“But the problem for me lies either with the fear of making a decision. Or just them not being too bothered if they get the right decision or not.
James McPake: ‘Those tackles need to be stamped out’
“It’s the way some of them are blasé about it and say, ‘oh, well, if I got it wrong, I’m sorry’.
“Would it have been the same sorry had Miles done his cruciate or suffered a serious injury?
“Those tackles, in particular, need to be stamped out, straight on the knee. The referees need to get it right.
“For the betterment of football we need to get rid of these challenges.”
