Maurice Ross left fuming as Rangers v Hibernian match boils over in Scottish Masters
Maurice Ross accused the referee of seeking “the limelight” after awarding a controversial penalty against Rangers in their 2-2 Scottish Masters draw with Hibernian.
The Gers were leading 2-1 in the group match at Braehead Arena on Saturday [9 September], having previously been two goals ahead, when Graeme Smith was penalised for bringing down Grant Holt.
Referee Des Roache awarded a spot-kick, which Holt himself put away late on as Hibs claimed an unlikely point.
It led to things boiling over somewhat, as Rangers defender Alan Hutton kicked the ball towards Roache at the end of the match.
Asked about the controversial penalty incident, Ross told BBC Scotland, via the Daily Record [9 September]: “I think it’s the softest I’ve ever seen.
“But the game’s on the TV and the referee wants a bit of the limelight. I don’t think it was a penalty at all.”
All a bit of fun
It appears there was no love lost in what is supposed to be a friendly tournament between former players of Scotland’s biggest clubs.
Seemingly every game had one incident or another, while there was no shortage of drama in the Gers’ 3-2 loss to Celtic.
The Light Blues ultimately failed to advance to the final, however, as they also lost 6-5 to Hearts – yes, 6-5 – meaning they exited without a win.
If you were wondering, the trophy went to Celtic after they beat Hibs 5-2 in the final, with Gary Hooper finishing as the competition’s top scorer.
As highlighted by Ross’s quotes, it really is a case of once a professional, always a professional when it comes to being a footballer.
And on the basis of last weekend, Rangers and questionable refereeing decisions go hand in hand at the moment.
In other Rangers news, a pundit joked he witnessed “the death of the conspiracy theory” in the Gers’ loss to Celtic last week.