Doug Ward

Thu 4 February 2021 15:10, UK

BBC Sportscene were back at it again on Wednesday night as they brought attention to Kemar Roofe’s challenge on Murray Davidson in Rangers’ 1-0 win over St Johnstone at Ibrox.

Roofe was booked for the challenge and Davidson had to go off injured but there was clearly no intention or malice from the Gers forward.

BBC Sportscene decided to have an at-length discussion about the incident on Wednesday night.

Former Scotland Women’s player and manager Shelley Kerr admitted that in real-time that it didn’t look as though there was much in the challenge but still claims Roofe should have been sent off.

Kerr said: “When you watch it live, it doesn’t look like there’s too much in it. But you can see here, he catches him, and I think it’s a red card.

“I think he’s trying to protect and shield the ball but the key thing here is he has a wee bit of a lunge.

“I don’t think there’s any intent in it, I really don’t. His first thought is to try and win the ball and protect the ball but it turns out to be a wee bit reckless.”

Roofe has never been sent off in his career and according to transfermarkt, has only been shown 19 yellow cards in 325 total appearances.

James McFadden also believes there was no intent from the Rangers player but still says the forward lunged at Davidson.

McFadden said: “Kemar Roofe, initially, when he takes a bad touch, he’s going to try and put his body in between the ball and Murray Davidson. But then, as Shelley says, as he takes that extra lunge, he loses control.

“You can see the damage it’s taken on Murray Davidson’s leg.

“I don’t think he meant to go in and hurt him but I felt as though he lost control and he’s very fortunate he stays on the pitch because the referee’s in front of him.”

BBC Sport’s match report on their website also says that Rangers “should also have been a man down after Roofe planted his studs” on Davidson. Hardly an impartial look of the game, right?

It was then discussed on Sportscene whether there would be any retrospective action taken against Roofe.

The £20,000-a-week [Football Insider] attacker was booked for his challenge but that hasn’t stopped the SFA from upgrading yellow cards to a suspension in the past, as Alfredo Morelos found out against Dundee United.

“I wouldn’t expect [retrospective action] but then you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Kerr added. “But, as I say, I don’t think there’s any intent. He got a yellow card at the time but who knows?”

Rangers’ managing director Stewart Robertson has made it clear in the past that he feels the BBC have an agenda against the club, hitting out at the SFA for the “trial by Sportscene” nature of the current disciplinary system.

If an incident is looked at in-depth on Sportscene then it’s more likely the SFA will launch an investigation of their own.

Just look at how much was said about the Roofe incident on Wednesday and then compared that to how Michael Stewart shrugged off Scott Brown’s elbow on Aaron Tshibola on Tuesday.

It’s one rule for Rangers and another rule for everyone else.

Roofe shouldn’t be banned. The referee saw the incident and booked him for it. If Sportscene want to look at anything it should be how poorly officiated matches are in Scotland and how ridiculous the disciplinary process is at the SFA.

In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart contradicts himself with latest view on BBC Sportscene.