By issuing a statement over the SFA’s decision to reinstate two VAR officials who sparked controversy against Celtic earlier this month, Rangers have fuelled the flames.
After the Gers lost to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup at Hampden Park without receiving a penalty, Willie Collum expressed regret to the team.
VAR Alan Muir and his deputy Frank Connor were relieved of their responsibilities last weekend for neglecting to instruct John Beaton to check the foul on Vaclav Cerny, which was within the box.
They have subsequently resumed their activities, though, and on December 29, Connor was named an assistant referee for Celtic vs. St Johnstone.
Keith Hackett, the former general manager of the PGMOL, feels that the two should not be playing just yet, particularly not in any games that feature the two clubs that their initial error affected.
“First of all, by disciplining both officials, the Scottish FA acknowledged the gravity of the mistake that was made,” Hackett told Ibrox News.
They will have established the duration of the penalty period and, ideally, will have given the two officials operational guidance and assistance.
The SFA seems to have deemed a one-match suspension adequate.
“When an official committed a serious mistake while I was the PGMOL’s boss, I would punish them by not assigning them to games.
“Although there was no public announcement, I would be careful to remove them from the media spotlight by not assigning them to two or three games so that things could settle down.”
“The SFA’s action was in the public eye and garnered media attention to show that accountability was in place.”
In my opinion, I would have recommended the New Year prior to scheduling a meeting.
Additionally, I would not have assigned them to any of the teams who are embroiled in the debate.
Rangers have already released a statement on their official website criticising the appointment.
The Gers claim to have expressed “serious concerns” to the SFA regarding the two VAR officials’ prompt reinstatement.
The Light Blues shouldn’t have made any public statements, according to Hackett.
The former Premier League referee went on to say, “Rangers had clear channels of communication where they could have expressed their concerns.”
“Going public exacerbates the situation rather than improving it.
“Clubs have no authority to determine the type of sanction or the officials assigned to games. Unfortunately, that would compromise the competition’s integrity.
“These observations are made knowing that a Belgian game that had a VAR error will be replayed.”
