Rangers v Athletic Bilbao: Michael Ball reacts to 'Horrendous' controversy

Michael Ball has reacted to what happened in the first half as Rangers took on Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League.

Gers played host to the La Liga high flyers at Ibrox and the score at full-time was 0-0 with both sides failing to score.

The second leg is in Spain next Thursday and the Glasgow outfit have a huge task ahead.

Robin Propper red card was harsh - Michael Ball

In the 12th minute of the contest, Robin Propper committed a foul next to the Gers penalty area and he was the last man.

Initially, a yellow card was given but VAR asked the on-field referee to review the decision on the monitor.

He did and decided to make the yellow a red card - giving the centre-back an early bath.

Michael Ball, a former Ragers defender wrote on X: "Harsh RED that. The rules of the beauty game are currently absolutely horrendous!"

Rangers were under pressure after Propper's baffling call

Such a silly, avoidable tackle from a 31-year-old centre-back, signed for stability, is indefensible—especially so early in a high-stakes match at Ibrox.

His dismissal left Rangers down to ten men for 78 minutes, piling intense pressure on a backline already missing John Souttar and Mohamed Diomande.

This wasn’t a one-off, as his rash defending has surfaced before, hinting at a worrying lack of composure.

A £1.5million signing from FC Twente, he was meant to anchor the defence, but this blunder casts serious doubts over his long-term fit at Ibrox.

With Rangers’ European campaign teetering, this red card might mark the beginning of the end for a player who’s failed to justify the hype in such a critical moment.

To their credit, the hosts responded well after going a man down and did look threatening on occasion on the break.

They went into the break with the score still at 0-0 - which is commendable and Ferguson deserves credit for it.