Shelbourne manager Damien Duff lambasted the standard of refereeing in the SSE Airtricity League after his ten men fell short against Derry City on Friday night.
Trailing 1-0 from the first half in the Premier Division encounter at Tolka Park, Shels saw Paddy Barrett sent off for a second yellow card four minutes after the break when the defender was adjudged to have struck Jamie McGonigle with an elbow as they contested for an aerial ball.
Duff felt the decision killed the game and was bemused by the call which he described as unacceptable.
"I didn't think it was a foul. I thought McGonigle tried to back into him. Paddy's come round the front because he's a big strong boy and he's got punished for that," he told RTÉ Sport.
"Second yellow, red card, game over. It's not acceptable."
Duff went on to criticise the overall level of refereeing in the league.
Shelbourne's Paddy Barrett has been dismissed after picking up a second yellow card at Tolka Park for what many will regard as an innocuous challenge. #SHEDER
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"Again, it's a refereeing decision that I don't accept. I don't accept the standard of refereeing in this country," he said.
"We're let down again. It's just a poor, poor decision. I don't know what they'd be seeing at times.
"And it's not just me saying it, the fans in the stadium whether it be home or away, I'm sure Ruaidhri [Higgins] has said it many times himself, other opposing managers and coaches, so it's not acceptable.
"We're trying to up the standards. The fans are amazing in every ground, not just Shelbourne fans, [but] every ground in the country there's a sell-out week in, week out. Standards are going through the roof. Referees need to come with us."
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