Keith Hackett fumes at Rangers player incident vs Braga as controversial footage emerges
Mohamed Diomande’s sending off in Rangers’ draw with Braga was harsh.
Rangers’ European woes continued with a 1-1 draw with Braga on Thursday, despite the visitors being reduced to ten men on the hour mark.
James Tavernier opened the scoring from the spot before Gabri Martinez levelled the game for the visitors, with Rangers picking up the first point of their Europa League campaign.
In the final minutes of the clash, Diomande was given his marching orders for a perceived elbow, in what has been deemed a harsh decision.
VAR unable to overturn second yellow suspensions
There were several contentious decisions in Rangers’ draw with Braga, though Diomande’s sending off is the one that will take the headlines.
While it had little impact in the grand scheme of things, his dismissal meant that the Gers had their one-man advantage withdrawn for the final few minutes of the game.
The Rangers midfielder was challenging for a ball in the air when his elbow made contact with the face of Victor Gomez, who certainly made the most of it.
On second look, the red would have likely been rescinded, though given the fact that it was a second yellow meant that VAR was unable to intervene.
After reviewing the footage, former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett exclusively told Ibrox News that Diomande has every right to feel hard done by.
“Players will use their arms for elevation,” Hackett explained. Referees must take this into account when making judgments when arms come into contact with an opponent.
“I look for a bent arm and backward movement when judging acts that are reckless or violent.
“Diomande was rather unfortunate to receive a second yellow. It was a harsh decision by the referee, and of course, under the VAR criteria, there is no intervention and no chance of a second look for the referee.”
What did Danny Rohl say after Rangers draw?
Danny Rohl has improved Rangers since his appointment, though their frailties remained on show once again in the Europa League.
The Gers are still chasing their first win in the competition after five attempts, with qualification to the next round looking like a fantasy more than reality at this stage.
After the game, Rohl said: “I think it’s disappointing, but I look at the first 60 minutes. It was the first time I felt my team was competitive in Europe. I think it’s a step forward.
“But in the end, we have to win and close the gaps. In the second half, I felt we controlled the game. And then in one key moment, we made one mistake and conceded a goal. This goal looks very cheap.”
Three Scottish Premiership games are up next for Rangers, before they are back in Europa League action on 15 December to face Ferencvaros.
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