Exclusive: ‘SFA need to act’ over major controversy in Rangers v Hibs – Ex-FIFA ref
Keith Hackett was left surprised that referee Nick Walsh did not award Rangers a goal when Nico Raskin’s effort appeared to cross the line.
The former FIFA referee and ex-PGMOL chief exclusively told Football Insider that the Scottish FA should have goal-line technology.
Barry Ferguson’s final game as Rangers’ interim boss ended in a 2-2 draw, with Cyriel Dessers and Nico Raskin getting themselves on the scoresheet.
But the Bears’ efforts were cancelled out by Hibernian strikes by Kieron Bowie and Martin Boyle either side of half-time at Easter Road.
Raskin sees goal disallowed as Rangers draw at Hibernian
Rangers got off to a good start in Edinburgh, as Dessers opened the scoring after just two minutes, notching his 17th goal in a successful individual Scottish Premiership season.
| Opponent | Result |
| Aberdeen (H) | 4-0 W |
| Dundee United (H) | 3-1 W |
| Hibernian (A) | 2-2 D |
Just 17 minutes later, the Glasgow side thought they had doubled their lead, as Raskin’s strike seemingly crossed the line.
However, both Raskin and Ferguson were left fuming as the goal was not allowed, even though TV angles showed that the ball had crossed Jordan Smith’s line.
Hackett issues verdict as Raskin is not awarded goal in Hibernian v Rangers
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett was adamant that he wants to see goal-line technology in the Scottish game moving forward.
The ex-FIFA referee said: “I was rather surprised that in the Rangers v Hibs game where a goal may have been scored confusion reigned and that the Scottish FA does not have goal technology.
“This is a major error for a game of this standing. There’s seven cameras around each goal operating at 500 frames per second – a system that has proven to be very successful around the world and the Scottish FA don’t have it to assist their referees.
“There’s doubt – was the ball over or not? Referees cannot guess. The game cannot be allowed to guess whether the ball has crossed the line.
“It should be a matter-of-fact decision.
“The Scottish FA need to act and get goal-line technology into its operation next season.”