Rangers v Celtic fallout ‘serious’: ‘VARs careers now in doubt amid Collum rage’
Alan Muir and Frank Connor’s careers are now on the line over the “serious” Rangers vs Celtic penalty controversy, according to Kris Boyd.
The Bhoys beat their bitter rivals in the Scottish League Cup final, winning on penalties after a tense 3-3 draw.
A contentious decision went against The Gers in extra-time though, after they were denied a penalty in the game. A foul on Vaclav Cerny had occurred inside the box and was missed by the officials.
The Scottish FA have since released a statement in which Head of Referees Willie Collum acknowledged that officials had made a mistake [STV], while the SFA’s Ian Maxwell brushed off the error as “human nature” [BBC Sport].
Former Gers player and pundit Boyd says that these decisions must be taken “seriously” in his latest column for The Scottish Sun.
He said: “It’s serious for Willie Collum, who clearly feels hurt and let down by his own VAR officials after the huge blunder.
“And it’s serious for Alan Muir and Frank Connor, whose careers are on the line, after failing to award that spot-kick to Rangers in extra-time against Celtic with the game balanced at 3-3…
“Maxwell shouldn’t have waited until Wednesday to address an issue which has dominated the Scottish football agenda all week.
“And he shouldn’t have laughed and joked about a “spike” in viewing figures on the SFA’s YouTube channel to watch The VAR Review Show. He should have gone straight to Collum’s door early on Monday morning to thrash out a plan for driving up standards in refereeing in this country.
“Collum has certainly taken it seriously. He looked raging on The VAR Review Show. You could tell he looked hurt and let down.
“If only the rest of the SFA hierarchy took it so seriously”.
Rangers fans won’t let this go so the SFA must show they’re serious
Football Insider opinion
Fans understandably feel a sense of injustice after a major blunder in the League Cup final, made worse by the fact it was an Old Firm derby.
VAR should have intervened, especially after replays clearly showed the incident occurred inside the box, not outside as initially ruled, which resulted in a free-kick instead of a penalty.
This has led fans to demand the dismissal of the referees involved and even call for an unprecedented replay.
However, their frustration appears to have been taken lightly by Maxwell, even if Collum is entirely unimpressed. This arguably undermines their concerns and fails to address the seriousness of the issue.
Fans of both clubs have weighed in, with Celtic supporters adopting a more humorous stance, though their reactions have drawn criticism online.
Despite the scrutiny and pressure on Rangers manager Philippe Clement in the weeks leading up to the match, he is set to remain in charge with the backing of the club’s hierarchy, with form having improved overall.
Nobody wants to see people lose their jobs but the Belgian’s has been in doubt and he could have secured his medium-term future with a trophy, but Muir and Connor played a big role in that not happening.
While a sense of bias and injustice lingers, the Rangers players must rise above it if they hope to lift any silverware this season.
In other news, Rangers are looking to sign defensive reinforcements in the January.
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