Hearts Goal Disallowed by VAR in Draw with Kilmarnock

Hearts had a goal controversially disallowed by VAR in a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock on Saturday, prompting manager Wouter Vrancken to strongly criticize the decision. The incident occurred in the 11th minute when Laurent Mendy's strike was deflected into the net by Kilmarnock defender Cathal McCarthy, but VAR official Matthew MacDermid advised referee Duncan Nicolson to rule it out for a handball by Mendy in the buildup. Vrancken argued that the handball was accidental and that Mendy's initial shot was going wide before McCarthy's deflection, so the goal should have stood. He cited a recent Premier League incident involving Manchester United's Harry Maguire, where a similar handball did not lead to a goal being disallowed. "The rules are clear about it," Vrancken said. "It's strange that VAR comes in between and rules wrong. It's simple. I get the rules, because we had a meeting last week about the laws of the game, and the refs did their explanation. But when you don't see them applied in the game, then I'm thinking this is strange." Vrancken emphasized that the decision was decisive, as it prevented Hearts from taking an early lead and controlling the game.