Livingston manager David Martindale has vowed to move on from last weekend’s penalty controversy against Rangers.
However, the outspoken boss feels that having full-time officials, rather than part-time, introduced to the William Hill Premiership and Championship could assist in getting on-field decisions right.
Martindale (pictured) also feels that former professional footballers could help the process.
Last Saturday’s controversy generated huge media and fan interest and it flared when Emmanuel Fernandez appeared to handle a shot from Livingston forward Teti Yengi with the score at 1-1 in the first-half.
Referee Ross Hardie allowed play to continue and the official was not referred to the monitor by VAR operator, John Beaton.
However, the Livi boss revealed to a media briefing at The Home of the Set Fare Arena that Beaton had phoned him to apologise for the penalty not being awarded as Livingston slid to a 2-1 defeat.
His club chairman, American-based Calvin Ford, wrote of his frustration on the club’s website, but urged fans to consign the incident to the history books and back the team as they bid to climb off the bottom of the 12-strong league.
Livingston are now, said Martindale, focused on Sunday’s Premiership home clash with Aberdeen (15.00) and the West Lothian team’s boss believes the men from the Granite City are a much better team than their current league position of eighth suggests.
The Dons, who beat pace-setting Hearts, 1-0 at rain-swept Pittodrie on Sunday, have 14 points from 12 games, while Livi have eight from 13 starts.
Jimmy Thelin’s men have scored nine goals and let in 12 while Martindale’s side have scored 15 and shipped 25, the equal worst total with tenth-placed Kilmarnock in the league.
Meanwhile, defender Joshua Brenet has returned from the Caribbean after helping Curacao claim a place in next year’s World Cup in Mexico, Canada and America and could be included in the squad.
Martindale said: “I don’t want to spend any more of my time and energy on what ruined what should have been a half decent weekend for the club. It was an honest mistake (not awarding the penalty at Ibrox). It is a really difficult job. Let’s move on, I want to focus on Aberdeen.
“Do we have to get better? I think we have. I have not spoken to anybody about this, but how do we do that? We have the technology.”
He believes that officials in the top two leagues should be full-time. Whether that is a bank of 14 or 16 officials, he doesn’t know, but he added: “We have to get better. Are you going to be better at your job if that is your only job?
“For me, that is the only avenue open now. For me, for us, for the association and for Scottish football, we need to find a better solution, to use the technology better, and I think the only way to do that is to have full-time referees for the top two leagues.”
