Chris Graham refereeing a Scottish Premiership match
Chris GrahamImago

Chris Graham controversy revisited after landing first Rangers game in two years

Dan Lewis

Assistant Editor AUTHORITY Senior editor and writer responsible for daily news flow, editorial standards, and active contribution across the site network. FOCUS Editorial oversight, newsroom workflow, verified reporting, and original content. THE BRIEF Former Sports Mole correspondent Daniel manages the network’s daily output, working between reporters and experts to ensure accuracy and speed. As a senior contributor, he also writes and publishes original content across the network.

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Chris Graham has been appointed as referee for a Rangers game for the first time in two years.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) announced the appointments for each of this weekend's fixtures on Tuesday.

Graham will overseen Derek McInnes' side's visit of St Johnstone at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.

The referee is one Rangers fans may not be too familiar with, having only managed one Gers game previously.

That match included a rather contentious decision that went against Rangers.

So what do we know about Graham and what can we expect this weekend?

Which Rangers game has Chris Graham previously refereed?

You have to go back to September 2024 for the last - and only - Rangers game Graham has overseen.

That was a 3-0 win over Dundee in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.

While the scoreline was one-sided, Rangers felt hard done by in terms of a decision that did not go their way.

Cyriel Dessers was wrestled to the floor by Mo Sylla, but Graham did not award a penalty and VAR did not intervene.

The pundits on TV duty that day, including Michael Stewart, felt it was a clear penalty for Rangers.

And the SFA agreed with that assessment as they later ruled Rangers should have had a penalty.

In the end it did not matter a great deal thanks to the emphatic nature of the scoreline.

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What do we know about Chris Graham?

Graham has officiated 10 matches this season - two in the Premier Sports Cup, five in the Scottish Championship and three in the Scottish Premiership.

Of those in the top tier, he oversaw Motherwell's goalless draw with Falkirk, Celtic's 2-1 win over Falkirk and Hearts' 2-1 win over Dundee.

In that most recent game on 6 September, he dished out five yellow cards and one red.

In all he has handed out 40 cards across those 10 matches, including the red, which averages out at four a game.

Still aged just 36, he is clearly an official on the way up, so hopefully there are no high-profile contentious issues this weekend at Ibrox.

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