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Steven Naismith insists Kyogo knew what he was doing to win a penalty against Celtic at Tynecastle, but his challenge stems more from the VAR procedure than the Japanese hitman.
He did nothing when the Hearts were swept through the hoops at Tynecastle. They were already 2-0 down when Kyogo placed his frame between Alex Cochrane and a ball in the box before going through. Replays showed minimal contact, but referee Nick Walsh pointed to the point.
Most expected Andrew Dallas to take another look and tell his colleague in the area that he had made a mistake. But VAR, on the first anniversary of the advent of the generation in Scottish football, saw nothing with that resolution and the resolution stood. Reo Hatate intervened, but there was some consolation for the Jambos when his shot hit the post. However, Kyogo himself made it 3-0 soon after, and the attack outplayed Naimint’s team, Lawrence notwithstanding. Shankland withdrew.
But Tynecastle’s boss wondered if VAR was worth it if there was still talk of contentious appeals every week. “It’s frustrating,” he told the BBC Escocia. No it has no effect on the game, it’s probably the only positive, but for me it’s not a penalty. It’s a resolution where the referee made a resolution, but we’re meant to eliminate those resolutions throughout the game. But each and every week we still talk about whether it’s a shame or not. Obviously, this is not the case. Kyogo knows what it’s doing. It’s smart.
“Looking back, I think Alex knows what’s going on and he’s doing well. On the contrary, Kyogo prevents him from reaching the ball. Kyogo was interested in the ball and that’s how I saw it. He expected to be knocked down. But we’re talking about another week and another resolution. “
Asked if he spoke to Nick Walsh after the game, Naismith replied: “No, because it’s more vital than the individual referee. For us, it’s about having a procedure that works. If there have to be grey areas, right? To value it or not to value it? This is the hardest part. It was disappointing, but not so in the game. We are the ones who leave the game ourselves instead of making decisions.