Rangers have raised serious concerns about the integrity of Scottish football following the Scottish FA’s admission that they were wrongfully denied a penalty during the Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic. The incident occurred in the third minute of extra time with the score tied at 3-3. Celtic defender Liam Scales fouled Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny inside the penalty area, but the VAR team failed to identify the infraction. Referee John Beaton had initially awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box instead.
Celtic went on to win the match in a penalty shootout after an intense 120 minutes at Hampden Park. Willie Collum, head of refereeing at the Scottish FA, publicly admitted the error, calling the decision “unacceptable” during the SFA’s VAR Review show on Thursday. He acknowledged that the VAR team had failed to make an accurate assessment of the situation.
In response, Rangers welcomed Collum’s transparency but expressed disappointment that such a critical mistake occurred during a high-profile final. A club spokesperson said, “Rangers FC notes the Scottish FA’s admission of officiating failure regarding the penalty incident in Sunday’s final and appreciates the transparency shown. However, the fact that this mistake occurred during one of Scotland’s most significant matches is incredibly disappointing for the club and its supporters, and it undermines the credibility of Scottish football as a whole.”
The spokesperson continued, “While we recognize the SFA’s commitment to using this and similar incidents to improve officiating standards, we remain committed to engaging with them to ensure better standards for all clubs in Scotland.”
The VAR review audio revealed that the officials quickly concluded the foul occurred just outside the penalty area. Senior VAR Alan Muir and Assistant VAR Frank Connor both agreed on the assessment, with Muir stating, “He’s just outside the penalty area. It’s really close, but it’s more outside.” Referee Beaton then confirmed that no further checks were required. Neither Muir nor Connor has been assigned to officiate any matches this weekend.
Collum explained that the error stemmed from the officials’ rushed decision-making. “They should have taken more time to analyze whether the holding was inside or outside the box,” Collum said. “Looking at the TV footage, this was not a difficult decision for the VAR team. They weren’t thorough enough and moved too quickly. The focus should have been on the holding, not the position of the Rangers player’s body.” He emphasized that the SFA would now focus on understanding the cause of the mistake and ensuring improvements to prevent a recurrence.
