Rangers didn’t lose at Parkhead because of the officials or VAR, more than enough chances to beat Celtic were created, however, the referee and his colleagues have now been found out.
Gers boss Philippe Clement was clearly incensed with the decision not to give a penalty when Alistair Johnston clearly handled the ball in the box.
After initial talks, Rangers were left frustrated about the SFA’s refusal to discuss the VAR audio and now it is clear to see why with media partner Heart and Hand going in hard on Willie Collum, the official responsible for the mismanagement of such a straight forward incident.
Rangers VAR shambles takes another twist
The club released a statement confirming that they had now heard the audio and that the offside rationale given well into the second half was never even discussed by Collum at the time.
There have been doubts about whether or not offside would even be relevant under IFAB laws so when a further claim that the VAR team felt that the incident wasn’t worthy of a check by Nick Walsh or a clear and obvious error, suspicions were only further aroused.
Writing on X after announcing the news, Heart and Hand’s David Edgar questioned how Collum can continue in his role after such an error:
“Very clear Collum lied. For that reason alone, he can’t continue as an official.
“How can any club have confidence in his integrity after this?”
If Collum hasn’t lied, it is almost a bigger concern.
How could anyone possibly look at Johnston’s offence and not give a handball?
Even the most diehard of Celtic fans have admitted that he was a lucky boy.
It is a story that isn’t going away anytime soon and the SFA can’t simply sit back and do nothing.
Their most senior referee is now under intense scrutiny and having his integrity questioned because of a VAR decision that could affect the Scottish Premiership title race for Rangers.
A decision that has baffled pretty much every observer of Scottish football.
