UEFA break Scotland penalty silence with jaw-dropping retort to Armstrong claim and reveal McGinn got away with one

UEFA have broken their silence on the controversial Scotland penalty snub and claimed VAR decided it was “just physical contact” when Stuart Armstrong went down under Willi Orban’s challenge as he was accused of PLAYING for the spot kick.

And European football’s Italian referee chief Roberto Rosetti told Steve Clarke and his men they were LUCKY not to have a penalty awarded AGAINST them after pointing out a shirt pull by John McGinn in Hungary’s penalty box shortly before the Armstrong incident.

Former FIFA whistler Rosetti held a media summit to discuss controversial decisions during Euro 2024 in Germany and featuring prominently was Scotland's spot kick snub which resulted in a furious post match rant from Clarke against Argentinian whistler Facundo Tello and Spanish VAR Alejandro Hernandez. Reports have claimed Tello and his assistants Gabriel Chade and Ezequiel Brailovsky were to be axed as part of the 19 referee teams due to be sent home for the knockout stage. However, the South American has been named as fourth official for Saturday's last-16 clash between Switzerland and Italy.

Rosetti was grilled on numerous occasions about the Armstrong incident and, clearly exasperated by the end, said: “In this match there were two controversial situations. Two! One was a clear pulling in the penalty area but you don’t mention that? And then there was the Armstrong situation which was checked and decided in this way. There was one, for example, in minute 68 when there was a possible penalty because No. 7 of Scotland - John McGinn - was pulling the opponent’s shirt just before the incident (Stuart Armstrong). So this was one of the possible penalties.

“Then there was of course in minute 79 in the penalty area of Hungary