Exclusive: ‘Sad’ appeal update on Toyosi Olusanya St Mirren red card v Motherwell
St Mirren striker Toyosi Olusanya should not have been sent off during his side’s draw with Motherwell, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the 27-year-old is also unfortunate that he was given a second yellow card, as he will not be able to appeal his upcoming ban.
St Mirren have already made their frustrations over refereeing in Scotland clear this season with a public statement questioning decisions.
Now, they have been left with another decision to fume over following their eventful 2-2 draw with Motherwell on Saturday (15 March).
Toyosi Olusanya sees controversial second yellow vs Motherwell
With just five minutes of normal time remaining and the game already locked at 2-2, Olusanya was shown a second yellow card to the surprise of many.
As the St Mirren forward chased a loose ball on the edge of the Motherwell penalty, he collided with opposition defender Dan Casey.
Both players then went to ground as a result of the force of the 50/50, with Casey left holding his face in his hands.
| St Mirren last five games | Result |
| Hibernian (H) | Drew 0-0 |
| Rangers (A) | Won 2-0 |
| Hearts (A) | Lost 3-1 |
| Celtic (H) | Lost 5-2 |
| Motherwell (A) | Drew 2-2 |
As Olusanya got to ground first, he was then shown a yellow card by referee Grant Irvine, despite the collision appearing to be completely accidental.
With the St Mirren striker having already been booked, that second yellow therefore brought a red card, and a premature end of his individual performance.
Olusanya is understood to be attracting interest from Rangers, but this will have been a moment he will want to forget.
Hackett though does believe the decision to send Olusanya off is indeed the wrong one, compounded by the “sad” reality of no route to appeal.
Keith Hackett reacts to St Mirren red card shock
After being asked by Football Insider what he made of the decision to send off the St Mirren man over his collision with Casey, the former referee said:
“I don’t see that clearly as a second yellow card. I think both players have run into each other, I’m happy that the left leg, which is what I thought might have been a problem, is not a problem.
“So I think it’s sad that a player’s got a second yellow card for what is an accident on the field of play, a coming together without any animosity, it’s not reckless, it doesn’t fulfill as reckless yellow card (criteria).
“And the sadness about it is I think in Scotland, as in England, you’re not allowed to appeal a second yellow card, so the player finishes up suspended on what I think is a poor decision by the match official.”
St Mirren currently sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership table, five points behind sixth place Hearts and four points clear of the relegation play-off place, with three games to go before the end of season split.