Referee's explanation for rejecting McGinn penalty revealed

Referee Ilgiz Tantashev told John McGinn he turned down his claim for a penalty against Morocco because the ball was going out of play as he was challenged by Neil El Aynaoui, the Scotland midfielder’s brother, Stephen, has revealed.

Scott McTominay also claimed for penalty under a challenge from midfielder El Aynaoui as Scotland suffered a 1-0 defeat in Boston, but it was his brother’s claim that the Falkirk first-team coach thought had more credibility.

“The McTominay one, my gut reaction was he was playing for it,” McGinn told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound.

“The John one, I genuinely thought at the time this is the one. Having seen it back, absolutely a penalty. No doubt in my mind.

“On the pitch, the referee told John, because the ball’s going out of play, it wasn’t a foul.

“When has that ever been the case? It doesn’t make sense.”

Former Scotland winger Neil McCann agreed.

“I think the McGinn one is a penalty and the McTominay one isn’t,” the Kilmarnock manager said.

“The McGinn one, we’ve done it as players – he is understanding that he is coming from the side and he knows he just has to take it across him and take the contact.

“Granted, it is not a clean-out job, but there’s enough contact on his hip to put him out.”

McCann and McGinn, meanwhile, both thought the Uzbekistan referee should have sent off defender Issa Diop for a last-man challenge on Scotland striker Che Adams.

“It is absolutely a red card for me,” McCann said. “There’s no covering defender, it’s a clip, so it’s not as if it is a ball that’s travelling.

“It is not a natural collision or an accidental pull-down. He’s pulled him down. Che Adams got goal side.

“I can’t believe he wasn’t brought to the [VAR] monitor.

“Somebody said behind me ‘he’s quite far out’, but we had guys being sent off in the opposition half in the Premiership and I think we all work under the same laws of the game.

“But that is not far out and Che Adams is completely getting on the ball, otherwise why is the yellow card brandished?

“When Stevie [head coach Clarke] digests that, I think he’ll really go big on that.”

McGinn was of the same mind and added: “The way our league became last season, that’s an absolute stonewall red card.”