Ex-FIFA official speaks out on contentious Rangers issue flagged by Sky Sports
Rangers were frustrated after letting a tentative lead slip to draw with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership opener.
Russell Martin’s side took an early lead through James Tavernier, but failed to build on their advantage as Motherwell pegged them back to a 1-1 draw.
Chris Sutton took a sarcastic dig at Rangers after the result, who face Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Motherwell equaliser came into contention on Sky Sports, and now an ex-FIFA official has had his say.
This article contains exclusive comments from Keith Hackett for Ibrox News.
Keith Hackett delivers verdict on Motherwell goal
Martin will be disappointed with his Rangers squad for allowing Motherwell the opportunity to get back in the game.
The Ibrox club were riding a wave of confidence after overcoming Panathinaikos over two legs, and that showed in the early stages.
However, the Steelmen showed the Gers exactly what happens when you fail to build on an advantage.
Emmanuel Longelo bagged the all-important goal after rising from the ground to finish from Elijah Just’s layoff.
| Statistics | Motherwell | Rangers |
| Total shots | 17 | 15 |
| Shots off target | 8 | 4 |
| Shots saved | 4 | 5 |
| Corners | 1 | 12 |
| Free kicks | 13 | 11 |
Sky Sports scrutinised the goal, with co-commentator Neil McCann in particular questioning whether there was a handball offence by Just.
In the end, the goal stood, and now former referee Keith Hackett – speaking exclusively to Ibrox News – has had his say on the incident.
Hackett said: “In these situations, the VAR operator has the opportunity of reviewing this through several replays and, on this occasion, has determined that a handball offence has not taken place.
“I concur that, looking at the replays, there is insufficient evidence to rule out the goal, and therefore it is not a clear and obvious error by the referee.”
Rangers must move on from Motherwell result
While conceding a late goal would have hurt the Glasgow outfit, they must show resilience by putting the result behind them.
The draw would have brought Martin’s men back down to earth after their triumph in the Champions League.
However, now they face a crucial clash on Tuesday where a win can be the only result on the menu.
- Rangers face Viktoria in the Champions League third round of qualifying
- A win over two legs means the Gers will enter a play-off to reach the group stage
It is still early days in Martin’s tenure, and he will learn a great deal about his side after results like this.
What matters is how his team responds to such blows, and all eyes will be on Ibrox on Tuesday night.
Sign up for the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Rangers news sent straight to your phone.