David Edgar slams Willie Collum in four-word message after Rangers explanation
David Edgar believes Willie Collum is “not fit for purpose” after Nick Walsh and Andrew Dallas were backed for not sending off Auston Trusty as Rangers lost to Celtic.
Trusty caught Jack Butland on the head at Hampden Park on 2 November in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, with VAR backing the on-field referee’s decision of handing a yellow card for the offence.
Collum has surely angered the Ibrox hierarchy with his decision, as the Gers must’ve certainly expected a different explanation, with the Key Match Incident (KMI) asserting that the American centre-back should’ve seen a red card in Celtic’s 3-1 victory.
The Scottish FA’s Head of Referee Operations won’t have many fans in G51 as supporters have been on the receiving end of several wrong calls from officials in recent months.
Willie Collum explains why Nick Walsh decision was correct in Celtic vs Rangers
Collum admitted that Trusty’s challenge on Butland fell under violent conduct, but Walsh deemed the contact negligible.
The use of excessive force and brutality then comes into play as officials assess whether the foul warrants a sending off, which they didn’t at Hampden Park.
While debates will rage over whether the defender should’ve been given his marching orders, the Ibrox faithful will feel that contact to the head should automatically lead to a red card.
Speaking on Sky Sports Scotland on 14 November, Collum said: “This falls under violent conduct. But what the referee and VAR team then have to consider is excessive force, brutality, the hand or arm being used.”
The refereeing chief added: “Another keyword, though, is whether the contact is more than negligible. And the referee comes to the conclusion that there’s not enough force, it’s not brutality for him, and contact is negligible.”
Danny Rohl has been sensible to stay away from the controversy in Govan, focusing instead on his team’s performance.
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The Ibrox hierarchy wanted a second meeting with the SFA after the KMI ruling, as they refused to let the controversy die without meaningful accountability, but it remains to be seen what they’ll do now.
There’s an argument that Rangers are trying to paint a picture of a conspiracy against them in Scottish football, which may cast the league in a bad light.
However, the Gers fans will argue this isn’t an isolated incident, as they were denied a clear penalty in the Premier Sports Cup final last season after Liam Scales’ challenge on Vaclav Cerny.
What happens next in the saga will surely be worth keeping an eye on at Ibrox.
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