Rangers Football Club are deeply disappointed to have been fined £3,000 by the Scottish FA (SFA). This hefty fine comes from a rather uncharacteristic emotional outburst by the club’s popular figure John Brown during the final game of the season against Hibernian. The incident became the focus of a controversial goal. As such, the club is understandably looking for some elaboration from the SFA on their enforcement practices.
John Brown telling it how he sees it on Rangers TV, rangers.co.uk He believed that the fixing of the officiating had been unfair. He added, “I would call it corrupt, honestly.” He was alluding to the turning point in the game when it appeared that Nico Raskin had scored the equalizer but had been ruled out by VAR. The ball seemed to have already crossed the line before it was cleared by Rocky Bushiri. This error in judgment gave Hibernian an equalizer only a few minutes later.
The passionate commentary from Brown drew immediate attention, with commentator Tom Miller responding cautiously, stating, “Well, I’m not sure we can actually say that.” Brown was unyielding, declaring, “But I’m saying that.”
In light of this incident, Rangers has announced their intention to engage with the SFA’s Chief Executive and President to better understand the Compliance Officer’s policies and processes. The club seeks to provide clarity and consistency so that any enforcement actions taken are proportional and appropriately uniform across all member clubs.
Rangers made their case even further by pointing to other comparable incidents that were not penalized. “To our knowledge, none of these cases appear to have resulted in charges against the respective clubs,” the club stated. This inconsistency is troubling to Rangers officials. Under their concerns, they find that the SFA’s approach to policing these incidents produces “more questions than answers.”
The club’s statement emphasized their commitment to transparency and fairness: “If this is now the standard, they will be watched closely to ensure it is applied across the board, consistently, without exception and without favour.”
Rangers have a new Head Coach Russell Martin as they continue their preparations for the new season. They will continue to watch what happens over the coming months as the Scottish FA approaches this pivotal juncture. The leadership of the bourgeoning club is equally bloody-minded to ensure that they are not treated differently so as to preserve the integrity of Scottish football.
The current situation exposes deeper systemic problems with Scottish football governance and refereeing standards. These rights now mean that eight in ten televised Premier League matches next season will be shown on Sky Sports. With this increased spotlight, scrutiny will increase exponentially over potentially contentious and impactful officiating decisions—heightening the need for clubs like Rangers to get fair treatment.
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