Scottish FA statement mooted after what happened to Rangers

Mark Guidi expects the Scottish FA to release a statement after Rangers were denied a penalty in their Premier Sports Cup final defeat to Celtic.

The journalist believes the SFA will address VAR Alan Muir's failure to flag the foul on Vaclav Cerny at Hampden Park as Liam Scales looked to have brought down the Gers' forward inside the box.

Instead, the Light Blues were awarded a free kick on the edge of the penalty area, which the officials reviewed "extensively" after the Bears' loss to Brendan Rodgers' team on penalties.

Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show [16 December], Guidi said: "I think there'll be some form of statement from the SFA in the next 24 to 48 hours stating that they got it wrong. That VAR official Alan Muir got it wrong to not flag that up to match referee John Beaton because I think it's a penalty.

"We can all acknowledge that. It was a mistake by Muir to not flag it up. It's been reviewed extensively at Hampden Park today, and I think that will result in a Mea Culpa inside the four walls.

"Muir, the VAR official, it's a howler."

Rangers unlucky to lose to Celtic at Hampden Park

The Gers went toe-to-toe against a side 11 points ahead of them in the Scottish Premiership, showcasing the progress Philippe Clement has made in the last few weeks.

The Belgian manager was struggling to get his side to perform well just recently, and the turn in the tide is an encouraging development for the Ibrox faithful.

After taking the lead in the first half, the Light Blues collapsed a bit after the break, but their attitude and resilience took the game to the penalty shootout.

Rangers lost by fine margins, as Ridvan Yilmaz failed to beat Kasper Schmeichel from the spot.

Had the Gers been awarded the penalty after the foul on Cerny, things might have turned out differently for Clement.

The Belgian manager's future has been under the spotlight in the current campaign, but the displays at Hampden Park, as well as the 1-1 draw with Tottenham in the Europa League, will certainly drown out the noise for now.

Clement is yet to win against Celtic, but he'll have another chance on 2 January in the league at Ibrox.

In other Rangers news, Tom McManus has destroyed Cyriel Dessers after the Scottish League Cup final.

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