Ferguson hits out at Rangers controversy - 'Shocker'

Barry Ferguson was shocked to see Mohamed Diomande receive a red card as Rangers beat Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

The ex-Gers captain was baffled by Nick Walsh's decision to send the Ivorian midfielder off after a rather tame incident with Kevin Holt at Tannadice Park on Sunday (26 January).

Ferguson slammed the referee for sticking to his original call despite being asked by the VAR to take a second look.

Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show [27 January], the 46-year-old said: "It was a shocker of a decision.

"Even in real-time, I didn't think there was much in it. There was no aggression from Diomande. Holt has pushed him a couple of times. It was a case of Diomande saying get off my chest or whatever.

"Initially [Walsh] has given a red card. VAR have asked him to go. I think Walsh made a mistake. He's gone over to the screen and the angles he's actually watched, it was even a bigger shocker that he went back on and kept the red card."

Mohamed Diomande red card soft in Rangers win v Dundee United

Diomande evidently didn't deserve to be sent off, as Holt was the one who initiated contact before potentially being slightly touched on the face.

While the red card was seemingly excessive, Walsh did show the Dundee defender a yellow card, and a similar warning for the Ivory Coast international would have resulted in a sending-off anyway.

But the 23-year-old could now miss multiple matches in the Scottish Premiership if his actions are deemed serious.

Rangers have enjoyed a relative spell of stability with Nicolas Raskin and Diomande in their engine room.

While the noise around Philippe Clement's future still remains, it has been drowned out after decent performances in recent matches.

The Ibrox faithful recognise that their prospects in the league are bleak, with Celtic leading by 10 points with a game in hand.

Fans now hope for a long run in the Europa League and the Scottish Cup, which Diomande will arguably play a key role in.

In other Rangers news, Curtis Davies has sent a message after the latest transfer news was confirmed.

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