The referee's bizarre reason for refusing to award a penalty sparked controversy as Scotland lost 0-1 to Morocco.

In a World Cup group stage match in Boston, Scotland lost 0-1 to Morocco. However, the scoreline wasn't the main focus; the referee's reasoning for refusing to award Scotland a penalty sparked huge controversy after the game.

During the match, Scottish midfielder John McGinn was brought down in the penalty area by Moroccan player Neal Aynawi, but Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev refused to award a penalty.

Stephen McGinn, McGinn's brother and current Falkrich's first-team coach, revealed the referee's explanation in an interview: "On the field, the referee told John that because the ball was about to go out of bounds, it wasn't a foul. When did such a rule come into being? It just doesn't make sense."

Former Scottish winger and Kilmarnock manager Neil McKen agreed, explaining, "McKin realized the opponent was coming from the side, and he knew he only needed to flick the ball sideways and take the contact. The force of the impact on his hip was enough to make him lose his balance."

In addition, another refereeing decision angered the Scottish side. Moroccan defender Issa Diop, as the last defender, pulled down Che Adams but only received a yellow card.

Mikan was utterly baffled: "In my opinion, that was absolutely a red card. The defender just pulled him down, and Che Adams was already in a much better position. I simply can't believe the referee wasn't called in to review the VAR footage."

Image source: Internet/BBC official website