Philippe Clement has admitted that the controversial VAR decision in Sunday’s cup final will leave a lasting impact on him. The Rangers manager revealed he had spoken directly with referee Willie Collum after the Hampden incident, where Collum, the head of SFA refereeing, acknowledged that the decision was “unacceptable.” While Clement appreciated Collum’s transparency, he was quick to condemn the episode as a “poor advertisement” for Scottish football, pointing out that the blunder, where the VAR team failed to spot a foul by Liam Scales on Vaclav Cerny in Celtic’s penalty area, has sparked widespread discussion across Europe.
The Rangers boss shared that even former players from his previous club, Monaco, had contacted him to discuss the controversial moment, underlining the international reach of the incident. Clement described the VAR error as a “scar” that would remain with him throughout his career, joining other similar moments of frustration. However, he also stressed that his primary focus is now on shaping a positive future for Rangers.
Collum, who had admitted that the VAR team’s failure to overturn on-field referee John Beaton’s decision was a “really, really poor decision,” had been open in his apology. Clement, however, reiterated the club’s statement that the incident had “damaged the credibility” of Scottish football. Asked whether the SFA had formally apologized, Clement deflected, stating that such matters should be addressed by the club’s new CEO, Patrick Stewart.
In his conversation with Collum, Clement said the referee reiterated his apology and explained the situation in detail. While he welcomed the transparency, Clement emphasized that it didn’t alter the outcome of the match. He expressed a desire for the fallout from this mistake to lead to better standards in officiating across Scottish football. “Everyone at the club hopes Willie is not alone in his efforts to improve standards,” Clement said, adding that it was crucial for the integrity of the game that similar mistakes are avoided in the future.
Reflecting on the bigger picture, Clement expressed regret that the controversy overshadowed what was otherwise an exciting cup final, with both teams displaying quality and intensity. He felt it was a shame that the focus shifted from the football itself to the pivotal refereeing error. Clement also raised concerns about the lack of clarity in officiating decisions, noting that in this case, there was no grey area and everyone in football agreed that the decision was a clear mistake.
