Rangers: Derek Ferguson shares what he finds worrying amid ongoing Willie Collum row, it is ‘baffling’
We’re delighted to welcome former Ibrox star Derek Ferguson as our exclusive Rangers columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points in Govan…
Derek Ferguson shared what he found “worrying” over Willie Collum’s contentious decision in Rangers’ defeat to Celtic and finds the handball ruling “baffling”.
The Gers are locked in an ongoing row with the SFA after a penalty was not awarded against Alistair Johnston for handball in a 2-1 Old Firm defeat at Celtic Park on December 30.
Stills released by the SFA showed that Abdallah Sima would have been offside in the build-up but ex-Rangers man Ferguson said that is beside the point and Collum should have awarded the spot-kick before further checks overruled it.
Speaking to Ibrox News he said: “Clearly it was offside, the worrying thing is the handball, clearly the referee should go to the VAR, Willie is on the monitors and has a good view of that how on earth he doesn’t see that as a penalty kick is beyond me.
“I think what he should have done then, you send the referee to the monitor to let the referee make his mind up. I think if he has a look at that it’s clearly a handball, it’s clearly a penalty.
“Then what would happen with the VAR when you start to go back and look at the build-up it was an offside so probably the penalty wouldn’t have been given because of the offside.
“But the worrying thing is the referee missed it it goes to VAR it’s clear to see the VAR Willie Collum should make that call and say ‘yeah it’s definitely a penalty’ it’s beyond me how he can miss that.
“You see some dubious ones but I just think that’s clear because if the player doesn’t handle it, Sima’s got a clear run in on goal along the byline.
“I’ve never been a fan of VAR when it’s come in but what’s clear is we’re all unsure about the handball rule, I think they’ve gotta sit down everybody concerned and make it kind of clear and obvious to the fans as well.
“I’m just a fan like anybody else, I don’t even know what the handball rule is, it confuses me. I was at the game the other day at Kilmarnock, I was working at it, the ball goes out for a corner kick then the next thing the referee’s at the monitor, the ball’s up at his chest and you say his arm’s in an unnatural position, it’s baffling.
“But going back to that decision, it was a handball, it was a penalty but it wouldn’t have been given because of the offside.”
In other news, Robbie McCrorie has been told to leave Ibrox by a family member.