Rangers’ dissatisfaction still dominates headlines almost a week after they lost to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup Final at Hampden.
This time, the Ibrox club has publicly criticised the SFA over the reinstatement of the VAR officials involved in the controversial decision that denied them a penalty during the match.
Both Alan Muir and Frank Connor have returned to duty for Boxing Day games, even though the SFA acknowledged the error and demoted them from officiating duties.
Additionally, Govan has taken note of the fact that Connor has been assigned to run the lines for Celtic’s match against St Johnstone this weekend.
In a forcefully written statement, Rangers questioned the SFA’s dedication to raising officiating standards and called the incident a “high-profile failure.”
In regards to the prompt reinstatement of the two VAR officials implicated in the officiating error during the most recent Premier Sports Cup Final, Rangers FC has written the Scottish FA to voice grave concerns and pose a number of inquiries. Additionally, we observe that one of the officials was assigned to an SPFL Premiership game that featured the team that benefited from the mistake.
“The Scottish FA’s actions call into doubt their dedication to promoting accountability and raising officiating standards. Although Rangers FC completely supports the independence of officiating appointments and the requirement that referees function independently, the Scottish FA’s reputation and public trust are directly impacted by how it responds to such high-profile missteps.
“The decision to promptly reinstate the officials has drawn a lot of media attention to the officiating failure and the officials involved, especially for a match involving the team that profited from the error in question. This went against the Scottish FA’s declared duty of care to its match officials and was both predictable and preventable.
“In football, mistakes do occur, and how they are handled is crucial. We would strongly want the Scottish FA to show that it is committed to raising the standard and reliability of officiating in an open and honest way. Our goal is to promote higher standards and accountability, not to question the legitimacy of the Scottish FA or the independence or integrity of match officials. Influence is not the issue here. It has to do with sound government.
“Rangers FC remains committed to holding the Scottish FA accountable in the best interests of the game and expects concrete steps to be taken.”
The issue started when Celtic defender Liam Scales seemed to foul Vaclav Cerny in the penalty area in the 94th minute. Referee John Beaton conferred with VAR before awarding a free-kick outside the box. Refereeing chief Willie Collum later agreed that the referees “moved too quickly” in their analysis and that the judgment was “unacceptable.”
The game’s lead VAR, Muir, and his assistant, Connor, were benched for the next weekend’s games but have since been brought back.
Rangers are still demanding answers, but many people think their response is out of proportion. The officials in question were chastised internally, missed assignments, and embarrassed in public. Crucially, at the time of the incident, Frank Connor was not the decision-maker; he was only providing assistance on VAR.
The SFA’s choice to reinstate the officials is in line with football’s norms, which call for mistakes to be admitted, corrected, and then forgotten.
The alleged winners of the mistake, Celtic, have remained neutral. Brendan Rodgers has pointed out that human interpretation makes mistakes a part of the game, even with VAR. Rangers’ continuous wrath is perceived by many supporters as an inability to accept loss politely, whereas the Hoops have turned their attention to their next games.
