Motherwell star Tony Watt reckons there will be nobody left on the pitch if referees like Craig Napier send players off for swearing.
The Steelmen saw Liam Polworth given his marching orders for foul and abusive language in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Aberdeen, courtesy of goals from Tommie Hoban and Andy Considine.
Polworth had just been barged to the ground by Lewis Ferguson when he was given a straight red card for aiming verbal abuse in the whistler’s direction.
The midfielder claims it was aimed at Ferguson instead and Watt has backed that version of events, while warning games will be a joke if officials produce red cards every time a player swears.
Watt said: “The sending off is poor. “It was a yellow card to Ferguson in the build-up for stopping a counter-attack.
“Polly’ has shouted: ‘F***in’ hell’ at Ferguson and the referee has taken that he has said it to him.
“I don’t see how he could take offence at that.
“If it is a red card for every swear word on the park then we would be finishing games with no players on either side.
“It is what it is. We can’t blame the referees every week, we also need to look at our own performances.
“We gave it a good go 11 v 11 and with ten men we kept ourselves in the game, but that is football and we can’t dwell on it or come out with our shoulders down because we will end up in trouble.”
Napier also came in for criticism for not awarding Motherwell a penalty with the score at 1-0.
Aberdeen’s Funso Ojo blocked Sherwin Seedorf’s strike with his hand, but the incident was missed by the officials.
It was a real point of frustration for the Steelmen, who also saw a fierce strike from Watt hit the post and bounce straight into the grateful grasp of Dons keeper Joe Lewis.
Watt, whose side remain 11th in the Premiership and without a win in their last 13 games, added: “We had a couple of chances. I had one on my left and one on my right.
“The one on my left, we have been unlucky because it has come back out and Sherwin has hit it and by all accounts it was a penalty.
“It was a penalty decision missed and when you are down there the things don’t go for you, especially when there are no fans and it is harder for referees at places like this to give the decision.
“I have not seen it [the penalty claim] but a few of the boys said it was a handball.
“To be fair, the referee shouldn’t need a reaction to give a decision like that and that is not me slaughtering him.
“He should give it. It didn’t happen and then we had another big decision go against us in the second half."
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